Sway
by RosieMcGuire
Summary: Future BL family fic. Peyton died giving birth, leaving Lucas to follow in his mother's footsteps and raise a child on his own. Only he isn't alone. Brooke, along with her daughter, are there every step of the way. The way OTH SHOULD have happened, IMO
1. Ready, Set

**Author's Note: **First I really want to thank Corey for everything she's done for me with this story. Her story "Don't Look Away" inspired me to take on a BL fic of my own. She also helped me by BETA-reading before I post. She was there to help me decide which SL I would take and her constant support helps to keep me going. I'm also very surprised that her brain has not exploded from the amount of grammar mistakes I put her through. Thanks Corey (BRUCAS123). I suggest you all read her story. The link is posted at the bottom.

This story takes place five years after Peyton died on the operating table giving birth to her and Lucas' daughter. Since Peyton never woke up, he did not name that baby Sawyer Brooke. Instead, her name is Penelope Sawyer Scott. Additionally, Brooke got pregnant a month after Peyton died. She and Julian have a daughter named Grace Elizabeth Baker. Penny is just about to turn five, Grace is a little over four. Any other questions, feel free to ask.

This first chapter will make sense later in the story. It's on a different timeline then the rest. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

_

* * *

_

* * *

_There's a long line of classmates to the front and back of me. Friends I've known for four long years of high school. Some I fought with pointlessly, like my best friend. The rebellious blonde that had been everything from my rock and shoulder to cry on to the one who made me cry and back again. I don't even realize when the smile crosses my face as I look over at her. On the outside, she's sitting on the bleachers of the gymnasium where we have all gathered to await procession into the auditorium and she looks bored. In fact, everyone probably thinks she's just idling away until the time comes that she can get out of her blue graduation gown but I know her better than that. I think I know her better than anyone. She has her hand on her chin which means she's keeping close to her body. She isn't bored, she's nervous. _

_I can't blame her._

_Once upon a time, it felt like I still had an eternity to get through until high school was over but here it is. Out of nowhere, under the guise of passed classes and examinations, it's finally here. Tree Hill High School has been very good to me. From the first day I set foot in the busy halls as an anxious freshman, I remember walking to my blue painted locker and watching the different cliques that I passed along the way. _

_I saw the cheerleaders and the jocks, the drama club and the burnouts. How was I ever going to find where I belonged here? A long time has passed since that day. I've grown and during that time, discovered that I wanted to conquer the world. I started with cheerleading but found my way to school politics and took on Student Council President. I liked working on the yearbook, especially this last one. All the memories from the culmination of four years just burst out across the pages, like it had exploded from inside each one of us. _

_I spent last night just looking at those pictures. I found one with me in the background on my first day. I looked like a deer in headlights, wanting to run away but paralyzed. _

_Things have changed so much since that first day but how could the end already be here? _

_Sometimes it felt like time was crawling by; others were filled with so much laughter and fun that they just flew by in the blink of an eye. It's impossible for four years to pass that quickly. _

_I feel an overwhelming overhaul of nerves in the pit of my stomach. This is it. This is the end. _

_I look through the crowd and let my eyes fall on each one of my friends, all happy in their own way, talking and laughing. Where will they all be next year? What about in five years? Ten years? While my yearbook is filled with notes about staying close, I'm not completely foolish. A lot of people will leave this town; some will stay but after a while won't we all just fall apart? Isn't that why ten year reunions are so big? _

_Since you don't see those people anymore?_

_That's it. I am putting my foot down here and now: _

_I wonder how many of my friends would follow my lead if I tried to organize a sit in. We could march right back into the school and be like the hippies; sit in the cafeteria or chain ourselves to chairs and refuse to leave. It isn't that I don't want to go out into the world … not exactly. The prospect of all the things I'm going to get to see and experience was the leading cause for me having such ambition to get through school in the first place. _

_Countless nights passed where I just stared out my window and thought about what kind of life existed outside of Tree Hill. Because of my parents, I'd been able to see other parts of the world but we always came back here because it was home. Would I do the same thing and make Tree Hill my forever home? Or would I go out there, maybe go to New York, Los Angeles, hell even travel across Europe. I want to see the world but I am always plagued by one terrifying thought that I can't get out of my mind no matter how hard I try. What if I go out into the world and fail?_

_The thought alone gets my heart racing. Chaining myself to the cafeteria tables is seeming less and less of a bad idea. _

_Failing is the last thing I ever want to do. No, I want to take the world on by storm. I want to go out there and leave my mark. I want people to know my name and recognize my face. But what if I never get there? What if the world sees what I could offer and just laughs in my face? _

_I swallow hard and cross my arms over my dark blue graduation gown. The tassel keeps flapping back into my face like an annoying bug and as I clumsily swat at it, I knock the cap off completely. _

_"Oh my ... God, seriously?" My fingers are shaking, one hand curled around the speech I wrote for today. The other reaches for the cap as a pair of black boots from under a gown much like mine steps in front of the cap. _

_I look up, slowly, and see a nest of blonde curls. Letting out a breath, I stand. "I can't do it." I say simply, before holding out the speech to shove it against my best friend's chest. "I tried and I can't. You do it." That would solve everything. That way I won't have to go out there and stand in front of everyone, trying to sound reassuring when in truth, I feel like everything I thought about the world is just a lie. How could I be expected to say some inspiring words about taking the world by storm with the next generation of world leaders when I'm not even sure about it anymore? "I'm kind of freaking out here, P. Sawyer." One hand goes to my stomach as my nerves start to play with my breakfast, "I think I'm going to be sick."_

_She holds her hands up. "Just don't throw up on me. Gown's just been ironed." Then she takes my fallen graduation cap and sits it on top of my dark brown hair. I reach up and curl the end of the hair that I'd spent hours straightening around my index finger. Then my best friend does the only thing, I think, could have calmed me down. She grabs my arms and gives me a little shake. "Alright, snap out of it. Take a deep breath." _

_"Take a deep breath? Take a--" I'm starting to go into rave mode but she cuts me off with another shake. _

_"Take a deep breath." She waits until I do what she told me and as the breath exhales, she smiles, "There you go. Now stop freaking out. You worked really hard for this so you're going to go out there and you're going to be great. You're a Davis. You can do this."_

_The pep talk helps, a little. As does the breathing. I nod slowly, letting the words sink in. "You're right. It'll be great." It would. It would be perfect. There is no need to freak out back here. Nope, none. Just calm down. Keep breathing and everything is going to be okay. I smile and then curl my arms around my best friend. "Thanks, P. Sawyer."_

_She smiles back and pats her hand against my back, for a moment, before stepping away. "Well don't thank me just yet."_

_I feel the evil clutches of nail-biting fear jump into the pit of my stomach. "What?" My voice is monotone and all of the calm that I had just gotten starts to float out the window. "I know that look. What is it? What did you do?"_

_Her hands go up as if to say: Look, no weapons. "I didn't do anything."_

_I stare._

_She relents, "Okay, maybe I did do a little something." _

_I'm quiet and all I want to know is what she did. I'd finally gotten some kind of peace and now, I feel like she's going to rip it away from me. And so help me God, if she rips it away from me, I'm going to go into a freak out frenzy and kick her ass into next week then bring her back to the present time and kick her ass again. "What's going on?"_

_It all comes spilling out and all I can do is widen my eyes as she confesses, "Your father's here."_

_I open my mouth to say something but I not sure what it is I am going to say. My jaw just hangs open until the booming sound of Principal Turner's voice tells us all to get in line. _

_It's time to start the procession._

* * *

This is my first BL fic so please don't be harsh. I love reviews, whether they're good or bad, just don't be cruel.  
Here is the link to Corey's story:  
h t t p : / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / s / 4 9 7 7 3 1 7 / 1 / D o n t _ L o o k _ A w a y (Just erase the spaces)

~ Rosie


	2. Who We Are

**Author's Note:** This story is really taking on a life of its own for me and I really hope that you enjoy it. Like I said last time, I want to thank Corey for her unflagging inspiration and assistance in making this happen. She's one of the most talented writers I know so if she approves on these chapters, then I know they have to be good. hehe.

Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, this is when the real story starts happening. Everything in italics are flashbacks. If you have any other questions, let me know and I'll be happy to answer to them.

I listened to alot of "Broken" by Lifehouse while writing this first chapter so it's title "Who We Are" come from the album title the song is located on. I hope you enjoy!

**Edit 11/3/2009:** For some reason the italics continued after the flashback so until it fixes, i'll point out which are flashbacks.  


* * *

* * *

The keys jingle as a pair of slender fingers turn them in the lock. As the door creaks open, Brooke Davis walks into the familiar home belonging to one of her best friends. Lucas Scott, quite possibly the strongest person she has ever met, is a single father and nothing has ever seemed to slow him down. He had a rocky period after his wife passed away on the operating room table. Luckily, he found solace in the beautiful little blonde girl that she gave him as a final gift.

As the anniversary of that fateful night rapidly approaches, Brooke has been thinking about it a lot recently. But today is not a day to be sad, Brooke decides as she reaches down to take the small hand that she let go of to push the door open. A perky dark haired girl eagerly reaches up for her mother's hand and bounces once as they step inside the house.

"Luke?" Brooke calls out.

Usually the room is filled with energy but it feels quiet today. She places a bag of groceries on the kitchen table and listens for a sound but none comes. His car is here, Brooke remembers. He has to be home. She kneels down to get eye level with her blue eyed, beautiful daughter. "Baby, why don't you go see if Penny's awake and I'll look for Uncle Lucas okay?"

Grace Elizabeth Baker. She has the fiery personality of her mother and the inquisitive nature of her father. Born ten months after the loss of Peyton Sawyer, she has become a constant reminder, to her mother, that even out of the most horrible situations, good things can come. Grieving for Peyton brought her closer to Julian, who gave her this miracle.

Grace smiles and nods her head. "Okay Mama." She says as she turns and runs down the hall.

Brooke watches her and knows that she couldn't picture her life without her daughter. Sometimes it's hard, overwhelming, but always rewarding. Once Grace rounds the corner and walks into Penny's room, Brooke steps further into the house. It's almost natural for her to pick up the pink basket she finds behind the couch and put stray dolls that Penny left out back in it.

From down the hall, she hears two little giggles and knows Penny's awake; now to wake Lucas.

With the toys put away, Brooke walks down the hall and knocks on Lucas's bedroom door twice before he opens it. His hair is messy and the left side of his face is red. Brooke has seen him like this before and as the smile spreads across her lips, she shakes her head. "You do know they make beds for a reason, right?" She's sure he fell asleep in front of his computer yet again, writing the world's next great novel.

"Morning Brooke." Lucas says as he runs his palm along his face and then through his hair.

She smiles, "Good morning to you too, sleepy." The sounds of bubbling laughter widens her smile as she looks back towards his daughter's bedroom door. She can't help laughing along with them. The sound coming from Penny makes Brooke think about Peyton. Sure, it still makes her heart ache but it has been incredible to watch Peyton's daughter and her own become close friends. It's like a part of both of them will always live on. She turns back to Lucas and smiles when she sees the same look on his face that she's sure she's wearing.

* * *

Lucas looks at Brooke and sees a familiar look on her face. He doesn't want to think about what happened to make them have the same expression. It's already that time of year. They are only a couple days out now.

The day would be just like the other four. He would get Penny up, make waffles for breakfast and once they were dressed, they would go to the cemetery. By the time they get back home, Brooke, Nathan and Haley will have the decorations up so that they can celebrate her birthday, as well. Lucas hates that, for the rest of her life, Penny will always celebrate her birth and mourn her mother's death on the same day.

He shakes the thoughts from his head and leans against the doorframe. Brooke Davis has been an immense help in his life. She helped him through the early struggles of raising a daughter and continues to help raise his little Penny. He wants his daughter to have a strong female influence; Brooke is perfect for that. He smiles at her, "You know what I need?"

"A shower, because you're starting to stink of 'overworked author'?" She fires back.

He chuckles and rubs his hand through his hair again before he hangs it from the back of his neck. "I was going to say a cup of coffee."

Brooke holds up her pointer finger and smiles, "Luckily for you, I can accommodate. You get the shower, I'll get the coffee. I still have a little while before I have to be at the shop."

"Thanks, Brooke."

He watches the grin spread across her cheeks and into the crevices of her dimples as she turns. He steps back into his room but overhears her open the door across the hall to check in on Penny and Grace. He listens as she encourages them to wash their hands, tells Penny to get dressed and offers to get them breakfast. He doesn't know what he would do without Brooke Davis. Back in the day, he never would have imagined that his life would lead him here.

Sometimes he feels like he has become his mother, as he raises his child the way she raised him.

But he can't complain. Lucas has a good life, wonderful friends, a beautiful daughter, and finally the spark to write has come back. He walks into the bathroom and turns the water on. As the steam fogs the mirror, he leans on the sink and then wipes his hand along the glass to see his face.

* * *  
Flashback

_He doesn't want to see his face. _

_Lucas leans against the sink and as his eyes settle on his image, he stares at unfamiliar blood shot eyes and for a moment, he wonders who this stranger is looking back at him. But in the end, he knows. As a sigh crosses his lips, he leans forward and presses his head against the cool sink and he considers staying there all night. _

_The sound of the door opening, however quietly, sounds like an explosion and it jars him. "Go away." He moans, content to stay right there all night. _

_Brooke Davis still cannot believe what she sees. It breaks her heart to see him grieve like this and it frightens her for the infant asleep just a room over. "Lucas--"_

_"I said, go away." His voice is heavy, the words slur as they just barely make it out his mouth. _

_She looks at him and she wants to cry. She's stuck between sympathy and anger. He had told her that he was going to spend some time with Nathan tonight. She agreed to babysit Penny because she had been so elated that he wanted to go out. Halfway through the night, once Penny was already sleeping, she'd called Haley to have some girl talk. When she asked about the guys, Haley admitted that Nathan was home and hadn't made plans to go out with Lucas. _

_It was Haley and Nathan who found Lucas at the bar, drowning in his sorrow. _

_She presses her lips together and walks past him. Her three month pregnant belly is slightly rounded underneath the button up shirt. Her hand slides along the small swell as she pulls the shower curtains back and turns the knobs to get the shower running. "I told you to get a shower," she says. She already picked out a t-shirt and sweat pants for him to change into. _

_"You're not my mother," he retorts, drunkenly. _

_Her eyes widen slightly as she makes a face, "Excellent comeback." _

_The shower is running now and the steam is starting to cloud the air. She turns to Lucas and wants to say something meaningful that'll help him, but nothing comes from her parted lips. Suddenly, the cries of a woken four month old echo throughout the room. _

_Brooke walks to the door. "You get a shower. I'll get Penny."_

_He doesn't know why he says it but the words slip from his mouth like venom. "You're not her mother, either." When Brooke stops at the door, he wants to stop himself. He doesn't. "She doesn't need you." He doesn't know what he feels right now. He's stuck. While he is grateful that he has help, he starts to feel like he'll lose Peyton even quicker with another woman stepping in as her mother figure. He sees the pang of hurt that crosses her face and he wishes he could take it back. _

_She feels like she's been hit with a truck. Tears gather in her eyes that she swats at the moment they hit her cheeks. She gathers herself and looks at Lucas. She can't be angry at him. He's drunk. He's lost. She can't argue with him. She doesn't want to. A few moments pass as she just looks at him. Then through a tear clogged voice, she whispers, "No, she doesn't. She needs you, Luke." She tries to choke back the tears that want to fall. _

_"Sober up," She hisses as she slips out of the room. _

_He feels like a complete ass. He wants to tell her that he didn't mean it but the room is spinning. By the time he's out of his clothes, he notices that Penny is no longer crying. _

_With a sigh, he steps into the shower and lets the hot water run over his body. She's right. His daughter needs him but he hasn't been here for her. _

_He leans his head on the cold, slick tiles and lets the tears fall from his eyes._

End Flashback

* * *

"Alright," he says, as he steps into the living room where he hears the girls' voices. His shower had been very refreshing and exactly what he needed to get a jump start on the day. His plaid button up shirt hangs over a pair of blue jeans and socks. He claps his hands together, "Who's ready for breakfast?"

He smiles when he sees all of his girls. Penny's sitting on Brooke's lap as she lets the older woman fix her hair. Grace is on the floor by Brooke's feet as she mimics her mother and brushes one of Penny's dolls' hair. There's a cartoon on the television but neither girls pay any mind to it. Lucas takes a minute to just soak it all in. He would never admit it but he likes little moments like these when he feels like they have one real family instead of two broken ones.

Penny turns her head to look at her father and giggles, "We already had breakfast, daddy."

Lucas walks over to the couch and leans on the back of it so he can be closer to his daughter. "Is that right?"

"Mm-hmm!" She declares happily. "Aunt Brooke brought bagels and strawberries and peaches, too!"

Brooke has to adjust how they are sitting as Penny grows increasingly excited. She is a daddy's girl to the core and absolutely loves being around him. When Lucas looks into her eyes, he can see himself staring back at him. She's beautiful and he feels like he could be happy like this for the rest of their lives, just the two of them. Though, it isn't really only the two of them.

"Peaches, too?" He asks excitedly. "But they're your favorite!"

Penny squeals, "I know."

Lucas smiles at Brooke. "Thanks for that." He knows that if she hadn't brought breakfast this morning, he would have had to rush to make something. He hadn't planned on falling asleep in front of the laptop the night before but he was on a roll. Time flies when he can get into his story.

"No problem," she says. "And there's coffee in the pot. I left your mug on the table."

He definitely has no idea what he would do without her.

* * *  
Flashback

_What would he do without her? Lucas wonders as rolls over. His head is pounding like an animal trying to get out of its cage. He knows by the light that shines into the room it must be late. That means Brooke is still here, probably taking care of Penny. He groans as he pushes himself up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. He sees a glass of water and two aspirins on his bedside table. _

_Apparently, Penny isn't the only one she's taking care of. _

_He swallows the pills and finishes half of the glass before dragging himself out of bed. All he wants is to go back to bed and sleep for the rest of the day. His whole body aches. He knows he shouldn't have gone drinking but for one night, he just wanted to pretend all the hurt in his life was gone. _

_As he steps out of the room, he sees that the nursery door is open. He walks to it and peeks his head in as he uses the wall to keep himself up. He swallows the knot in his throat when he sees Brooke rocking in the chair with his baby girl asleep against her chest. _

_Penny squeezes Brooke's finger in her sleep and it makes her smile. She doesn't even hear Lucas at first. _

_"Brooke."_

_It makes her stomach knot. She spent most of the night trying to find the words she wanted to say but they never came. She presses her lips together and looks down at Penny. "She's a beautiful little girl, Luke."_

_He's expecting her to yell at him but then again, she wouldn't do that while holding the baby. "Yeah, she is."_

_Brooke nods, as she carefully navigates out of the rocking chair. She tries not to wake Penny, while leaning over the crib and placing the baby down. She smiles softly as she gently touches Penny's belly and she doesn't think about Lucas for a second. What she did think about, were the things he said to her the night before. Was she too clingy when it came to Penny? Penny was the only thing left in the world that was purely a part of Peyton, her sole reminder. Maybe she was holding on too tightly. _

_She lets out a sigh and slowly turns away from the little girl. _

_"Brooke, about last night--" He starts. _

_She cuts him off and dismisses whatever he's about to say. "She ate at eleven and just fell asleep about twenty minutes ago." She picks up her purse from beside the chair and hangs it on her shoulder. "Nathan and Haley are at Jamie's baseball game until three so if you want to call and apologize to them for throwing up in the backseat of their car, I suggest you do that then."_

_He threw up in the car? "Last night was a blur."_

_She looks him up and down. "Obviously." She walks by him and into the hallway. Only a couple feet til the front door._

_Lucas feels like he's losing something. It hurt so much to lose something the last time that he starts to panic. He follows after her and grabs her arm before she gets to the door. "Brooke, I'm sorry."_

_She spins on her heal to look at him. "Don't be." She pulls her arm out of his grasp. "You're right. I'm not her mother. But you're her father and she needs you. I know you're hurting." Her hand goes up to her chest, tapping her heart, "I'm hurting, too but that little girl needs you to take care of her. Get your act together, Lucas Scott." It's a warning. She knows it and he can hear it in her voice. _

_As she leaves, he flops down on the couch._

End Flashback

* * *

Brooke giggles as Lucas flops down on the couch once he finishes his cup of coffee.

She loves seeing him with his daughter. His face lights up like she's never seen before. It's truly beautiful. She wants to stay home and just play with them all day. Just like last weekend, when the four of them played a very rousing, four hour game of hide and go seek. It makes her sad to think that Julian couldn't play with them. He's still in Los Angeles, filming another movie; the third in a row, now. But she's thankful that Grace has her Uncle Lucas and Uncle Nathan to be around for her.

As Penny crawls over onto her father's lap, he scoops her up in one arm and starts tickling her.

Her laughter echoes throughout the house and makes Brooke smile.

Lucas feels a tug on his shirt and looks over at Grace who now has her hands behind her back as she rocks on her heals. "S'cuse me.." she says.

"Yes, Miss Gracie?" He is always amazed at how much Grace resembles her mother. She has the same smile and nose, the same dimples. Brooke is doing an amazing job raising her daughter while Julian is always out of town. Lucas actually kind of likes it that Julian is out of town. He gets to spend more time with Brooke and Grace.

In a very polite voice, Grace asks, "Can I have some?"

Lucas tries not to smile too wide but he steals a glance at Penny. They have the same look on their faces, already knowing exactly what they're going to do.

"Some of what?" Lucas asks.

Before Grace has a chance to reply, he snatches her up off the ground and brings her down on the couch. Both he and Penny start tickling her. She squirms and squeals, laughing so hard that it probably hurts.

Brooke couldn't regret leaving more right now.

"Once the tickling gets involved, I'm out." She starts to walk by them but out of nowhere, Lucas's arm reaches out and catches her around the waist. He brings her down on the couch while the two girls jump on her, little fingers wiggle against her ribs and sides. Lucas can't help but notice how much Brooke's laughter is like her daughters.

He lets the girls attack her for a few moments before he pulls them off, Grace on his right arm and Penny on his left. "Alright, thing one and thing two. The grown up has to get to work." The girls look at each other and giggle as Brooke pulls herself together.

Once she fixes her hair and pulls her skirt back in place, she considers just staying home. No. She needs to go get some sketches done. "I'll be out at three. Millie's coming in early to close. You want me to pick up anything on my way back?" She asks as she walks towards the door.

Lucas shakes his head, "Not anything I can think of offhand. But thanks for offering." He puts Grace down, "Go say goodbye to mommy."

She runs to Brooke and jumps into her arms. Brooke holds her little girl tightly, "Be good for Uncle Lucas. I love you."

"I will. I love you, too, Mama," she declares.

Just like that, Grace runs towards Penny's bedroom. She calls for her friend, who stands now in front of Brooke, to join her.

Brooke opens her arms, "Come on, monkey. Give me a hug."

Penny leans into her hug and squeezes her a little tightly. As soon as they part, Brooke stands up with a smile on her face. "Try not to drive your daddy crazy, okay? It'll cost a lot to get rubber walls for him."

"Okay." She giggles and starts to run after Grace. "Bye, Mommy."

Lucas didn't notice it at first but when he sees Brooke's eyes widen, it sinks in. She just called her mommy. He opens his mouth to say something but Penny corrects herself, "I mean ... Aunt Brooke."

He doesn't know what to say to that. Should he go talk to Penny about it? He looks at Brooke and tries to find words. She looks like she's doing the same. He chuckles instead and walks to the door to open it for her. "Have a good day at work."

Brooke smiles and nods. "Yeah, sure. Right. You, too." Once the door is open, she can think a little clearer. "Bye Luke." She waves before she escapes out of the house.

She's not Penny's mother but she can't help the way her heart leapt when she was called by that name.

Lucas shuts the door and leans against it, as he replays the moment back in his mind. He doesn't know how to feel about it but he can feel his chest tighten as it sinks in.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think. Good, or bad, just don't be cruel. ~Rosie**


	3. Somewhere In Between

**Author's Note:** This chapter is a little longer but I couldn't stop myself. I also like to think that I did something I always wished that Mark would do on OTH. You'll see what I mean. As always, big thanks to my Corey-Bean for taking such good care of me and my story. It means the world to me. I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Thank you to everyone who's left reviews. I really enjoy reading them. They're the reason I keep going like I do!

Please enjoy! This chapter is called "Somewhere In Between." Apparently I'm on a Lifehouse streak so um, thanks Lifehouse, I guess?

**EDIT:** IDK what's up with the format. I tried fixing it but today just is not my day for the internet. Oy! Please ignore the format.

* * *

Brooke Davis taps her pencil against the pad of paper which holds her newest designs. She's had an overflow of ideas lately. She realizes that sitting in her store, letting her imagination take control, has been very cathartic. After feeling frustrated from the message she received earlier, she knew she had to find a way to calm herself. Normally, she would pull her little girl into bed with her to watch Aladdin, but considering she had to get some work done today, this was working beautifully.

She sighs as she puts her tablet on the desk in front of her and leans back in her chair. She stretches her arms way over her head and arches her back until all the muscles are pulled and fall into place as she leans forward.

While her mind should be on her work, she looks at a picture on her desk and it makes her smile. Her fingers stretch out to curl around the corner of the picture frame that had been made just for her. One afternoon while Lucas watched the girls, Grace and Penny had glued elbow macaroni and glitter over a two hundred dollar frame she had owned since she was a little girl.

When they presented it to her, little faces stretched with wide smiles, she realized that her life was much like that picture frame. It had been put together and manufactured to be top of the line, but with her beautiful daughter in the picture, Elmer's glue and some dry pasta made it so much better.

She draws her thumb along the picture and it makes her feel at home. She feels like that's right where she belongs.

_"Brooke," Lucas says with a shake of his head, "You're not going to just take the picture."_

_  
He chuckles as he rises from the couch and walks over to her. Grace and Penny posed perfectly on the couch like little angels, big smiles creasing their tiny faces. "You see," he continues as he starts to mess with the camera. "There's this new, fancy thing called a timer."_

_She playfully backhands his chest, "Oh, shut it." She shakes her head slightly, "I look a mess, Luke. Let me just get a picture of you three so I can stare at it all day when I'm supposed to be working."_

_Grace sits up a little straighter as she swings her legs from where she sits. "Come on, mama! Please?"_

_How could she possibly say no? She watches as little Grace pouts out her bottom lip and bats big, blue eyes at her. "Oh, no. Not the pout. You know I'm helpless to the pout!"_

Once Lucas finishes setting the timer, he curls his fingers around Brooke's slender wrist and escorts her towards the couch. He leans in close to her ear and whispers, "You know, I taught her that pout."

_  
"Yeah, to torment me." Brooke whispers as she lifts Grace from the couch and sits, placing her daughter in her lap. Penny is to her right and snuggles between her and her father._

_  
In the sweetest, most innocent voice, Penny asks, "How long do we have, daddy?"_

_  
He slips onto the couch and then scoops up his little girl in his arms. He lets her sit on his knees so he can lean back against the couch. "Thirty seconds," he answers. "Can you smile big for daddy?"_

_  
Penny obliges as she reaches for Grace's smaller hand. "You too, Gracie!" Penny squeals. "Smile really big!"_

_  
For a moment, it reminds her of a familiar scene with Peyton. The two were only ten years old when they sat on a couch much like this and posed for the camera. 'Smile real big,' Peyton had said as she leaned against a much smaller Brooke._

_  
The smile that widens Brooke's face isn't a sad one anymore. She's happy. She can feel Peyton, still, through her beautiful, blonde daughter. It comforts her._

_  
As she looks up, she hardly notices that Lucas has slipped his arm over her shoulders. The lights on the camera start to flicker. "Alright everyone," Brooke says. "On the count of three. One, Two.."_

_  
Lucas joins her and announces, "Three."_

_  
The camera flashes._

Brooke lets out a small sigh and puts the picture back down. Things are always so easy when she is with Lucas. They have each other to lean on, and it has meant more to Brooke than anything has before. Her daughter is the most important person in her life. And Lucas is an amazing father. He's strong and sweet and caring and attentive. Though, that doesn't surprise Brooke in the least.

She had always known he would be a great father. Ever since the night, in high school, when he came to her room and assured her that he would always be there for her and the baby he thought she was pregnant with. That was a long time ago. They are very different people now, but in some ways, they're still the same.

She glances at the clock and jumps. How did it get to be three thirty without her realization?

Brooke leaps up from her seat, and after she slips the pad into her desk, she walks out of her office ... leaving the picture in the center of her desk.

* * *

"Alright, girls," Lucas says as he turns from the stove with two small plates in his hands. One has a caricature of Mickey Mouse underneath the sandwich he has placed there; the other has the vibrant tiger, Raja, from his goddaughter's favorite Disney movie. "The famous Scott-family grilled cheese."

He places one, cut diagonally, in front of his fair-haired daughter; the other, which has no crusts and is cut in half, goes in front of Grace. "Eat up!" he exclaims.

"Thanks daddy!" Penny squeals as she reaches for her sandwich and takes a big bite. Yellow cheese hangs from the corners of her mouth as she starts to chew. She has a big grin, and as Lucas holds a napkin out to her, she giggles.

Grace, on the other hand, sits still in her chair, legs swinging as she looks at the sandwich.

Lucas notices, leans his arms on the table, and looks at her. "What's wrong, Gracie?" he asks. "It's cut just how you like it."

She doesn't look up, just continues to swing her little legs for a moment. Then she turns her bright eyes up to him and he recognizes the inquisitive nature rise in them. He's seen this same look on her face many times before. Even when she was an infant, she would often get this flicker behind her eyes as she explored her new toys. Finally, her soft voice pipes up as she innocently asks, "Why doesn't Penny have a Mama?"

He isn't prepared for that question and doesn't say anything for a minute.

Easily, almost too much so, Penny answers for him, "Because my mommy's in heaven." She takes another bite of her sandwich like she isn't bothered by the question.

Lucas has wondered, for a long time, how to explain it to his daughter when she becomes more curious about her mother. He just never expected Grace to be the one to ask him about it.

He looks at his daughter for a moment and notices again that she doesn't seem affected. He's almost confused. He knows how much Peyton meant to him and how strongly her loss has affected him, but sometimes, it's difficult for him to remember that Penny never knew her mother. When he was a young boy, he remembers asking his own mother the same question about his father.

He considers calling her to ask her how she managed to explain that to him when he asked.

Instead, he turns back to Gracie and asks, "What made you ask that?" He needs a second to think.

Gracie shrugs, "We were playing with my barbies and my family had a mommy and a daddy but Penny's didn't have a mama."

That's a good answer, Lucas realizes. She's too smart for her own good.

He lets out a small breath, and while it hasn't gotten much easier thinking about Peyton's death, it doesn't bring him to tears anymore. He's not about to withdraw. A lot has changed over the past couple years. "Well," Lucas begins. He tries to find a way to say it so that a young child would understand. "Penny's mommy got really sick. She went to Heaven so she wouldn't be sick anymore."

The brunette baby considers this for a moment, then questions, "I've been sick before. Does that mean I'll go to Heaven?"

Just the simple thought of that makes his heart ache. He reaches out and tucks her dark hair behind her little, pink ear. "No." He answers with complete conviction in his voice. "You're always going to be safe here with your mommy and with me." He gives her a reassuring smile and it seems to sate her curiosity for now. He then turns to Penny, "You both are." he says.

He chuckles as Penny reaches for the second half of her sandwich, seemingly unaware of the conversation around her. He smiles again and reaches for his cup of coffee. As he sips it, he watches Grace finally turn to eat her grilled cheese. The two girls start to chatter with each other as Lucas leans back against the counter. All he can do is let out a slow breath. He really needs to get his thoughts together on how to answer these questions.

If Grace is asking now, it won't be long before Penny is curious as well, and Lucas has no idea what to say to her.

For now, he pushes those thoughts from his head and just watches the girls.

* * *

Brooke taps her fingers against the counter as she looks at the clock. Millie had called to let her know she would be running late so Brooke had no choice but to get one of the other employees to cover her shift. She's dying to get home to see her little girl. All she wants to do is scoop Grace into her arms and hold her against her chest. Every second away from her beautiful baby is a second too long.

Brooke feels like she was born to be a mother. While she made mistakes growing up, she had learned from them over the years. And this is exactly who she wants to be. She loves taking care of people, and being a mother is all she really needs to be happy. So what if Julian is away filming most of the year? She has her daughter to look at every morning, to tuck into bed every night. She's happy. Content in a way she never thought she could be ... or ever considered she deserved.

Grace had come along and changed everything- from Brooke's heart to the way the stars were arranged in the sky.

Falling into a daydream passes the time seamlessly and when the bell above the shop door goes off, she jumps.

Her eyes fall on a dark haired girl wearing a band tee and a pair of jeans that are ripped at the knees. She smiles at the familiar face and starts to gather her belongings. "Hey! Thanks so much for coming in." As she stuffs things into her purse, she feels a surge of energy pump through her. It won't be long now until she's home. "Millie's running late and--"

A snicker stops her mid-sentence. "Brooke. Chillax."

Sam Walker is a girl that Brooke knows very well. Although she'd once stolen from the store, Brooke trusts her to run it now. She's tall, nineteen, and just as quick tongued as she had been as a young teenager. Sam walks over to the counter and drops her cargo bag onto the counter. "You can repay me with a big, fat bonus. I'm pretty sure saving the boss's day counts for something."

"Trust me," Brooke tells her, "Saving the day definitely pays."

She sits on a chair and props her feet on top of her bag. "It better. I have a paper to write for class tomorrow."

In one swoop, Brooke swats Sam's feet down from the counter like she does every day that she comes in to work. "Wait til the last minute again?" she asks with a perk of her brow.

Sam just laughs, "Teachers only give two weeks for an assignment so they don't have to come up with shit to do in the mean time. Besides," she rifles into her messenger bag and pulls out a three subject notebook. She flips it open somewhere in the middle. "I got started early." She holds the empty page to show Brooke. "I gave it a title and everything."

"Wow," Brooke says with mild sarcasm. "You even wrote your name down."

The younger girl gives a simple shrug as she places the notebook down in front of her. "Yeah, well, I'm an overachiever."

Brooke smiles. She remembers when Sam was just a rebellious, lost little girl. It wasn't that long ago, but time has definitely changed her. She's growing into a beautiful young woman. It brings a glow to her heart to think she had some part, however small, in her growth. She is attending community college and working now. Plus, she just started dating a nice boy named Chris, a classmate of hers. Brooke heard about the whole awkward meeting over spilled soda one afternoon and even teased Sam for blushing.

She feels compelled to comment, "You're doing a really good job. I'm proud of you, Sam, you know that?"

The smile that grows on Sam's face lasts for a second before she hides it behind her notebook. "You should get out of here before I change my mind."

"I'm going," Brooke says. She knows that Sam isn't really into 'squishy, girly' moments, as she usually refers to them.

She starts to walk towards the door when Sam stops her, "Hey B."

Brooke turns easily, one hand on the door.

Sam shrugs and says, "You're doing a pretty kick ass job, too. Give Little G a big hug for me, ok? And why don't you try bringing her by here sometime. I haven't seen her in awhile." Sam started working for Brooke at the store shortly before Grace was born. She helped out while Brooke was on maternity leave and is on her list of babysitters. Though Brooke made a rule about no sneaking out and trashing her store. They had laughed.

"I will." With a small wave and smile, Brooke walks out of the store into the warm afternoon air. Today would be the perfect day for a walk to the park. She smiles as she gets into her car and heads back to Lucas's house.

Who ever said life couldn't be perfect?

* * *

_  
Why are things so far from perfect?_

_  
Brooke slams her cell phone down on the table and lets out a frustrated cry. She feels like her heart has been ripped out of her chest, thrown on the ground and danced upon ... in six inch high heels … again. She stares down at the cell phone and her thoughts swirl. It feels like that stupid cell phone is mocking her, laughing at her._

_  
There are hot tears on her flushed cheeks and her eyelids feel heavy._

_  
She knows it's probably hormones, but she doesn't stop herself as she reaches for the phone. Her fingers tighten around it like she's trying to squish it as she places her free hand on the arm of the chair._

_  
She doesn't get up nearly as quickly as she wants to because she has to push an additional twenty pounds, all in her belly, up. Five months pregnant and she already feels like she can't possibly get much bigger. Her hormones run wild most of the day. While she tries to wrangle them most of the time, there are moments when she feels like she has to get everything out or she'll explode._

_  
Today is one of those days._

_  
"Your son of a bitch father--" she mutters under her breath as she sways, not waddles ... she refuses to think of it as waddling, towards the front door. One hand clamps down on the door handle to twist it. As she gives it a hard yank, she lets out an angry yell and throws the cell phone easily outside. She doesn't want to hear from Julian right now. At least with the phone in the front yard, she won't have to._

_  
Lucas Scott watches the flying device land in the yard as he walks up towards the door. He finally gave in to Haley's constant pleas to take Penny for an afternoon. She had insisted he go out and get a breath of the outside world. He had fully planned on spending some time down at the Rivercourt but as he walked through town, his feet lead him unknowingly to this house._

_  
He stares for a moment and almost considers leaving, but one sound catches his attention._

_  
He hears her small sob from inside the house, completely unaware of his presence. Lucas walks up to the open door and carefully peaks his head into the house, on alert in case something else comes flying out. But all he sees is Brooke Davis sitting against the stairs. The image of her with those tears falling over the apple of her cheeks brings a tightness to his chest. "Brooke?"_

_  
She knows she should have shut the door but the tears are falling so easily from her eyes, and she hasn't been able to stop them long enough to close it. She looks up to see him and groans as she covers her palms over her slick face. "Oh ... God, don't look at me." She begs, her voice muffled from her trembling hands._

_  
He stands there for a moment, then steps into the house, and closes the door behind him._

_  
When she hears the lock, her heart drops. She doesn't want to ask him to sit with her. She's supposed to be stronger than this. So what if she got into another argument with Julian? So what if the dinner she had planned on making him tonight was a bust because he was staying another week on location? She's supposed to be strong and now that the door is shut, she feels alone._

_  
More tears fall from her eyes now that she thinks she's in privacy._

_  
Her body momentarily tenses when she feels a weight on her shoulders. She drops her hands and turns her head to the side. Through her tears, she makes out Lucas's face. For that moment, her tears stop. Her voice shakes as she whispers, "I thought you left."_

_  
Lucas hates seeing her like this. He hates seeing the strong and independent woman he knows crumbling like this. He shakes his head no, and with his arm resting over her shoulders, rubs her arm. "You never left me." He says as a small smile crosses his lips, trying to be reassuring. "Come here." He whispers as he coaxes her closer against his chest._

_  
She hesitates but then slowly leans into him, relaxing against the comforting touch. Why is it such a struggle for her to ask for this? Though, she realizes to herself, she doesn't have to ask Lucas for this. He's just here._

_  
He nuzzles his nose against her hair and can smell apples. She always smells like apples lately. He sometimes teases her about how many she's been eating ever since she began craving them. He holds her against his chest a little tighter when he feels her body shaking from the new tears she's shedding. In the back of his mind, he starts to feel very angry. He knows this is about Julian and for a second, he sees red. He has more than half a mind to go out to Los Angeles or wherever he is and have a serious talk with him; one that involves fists._

_  
"What happened?" he asks when she stops crying. His voice is low, soft enough that no one but they can hear._

_  
Brooke sniffles and suddenly feels very tired. Crying takes so much out of her and now she feels completely depleted. She hesitates over the answers. After everything that Lucas has been through, is it even fair to complain to him about her boyfriend? His wife died. Her problems don't seem to compare. "It's nothing." She answers softly, face against his cotton tee shirt. "Just hormones."_

_  
He closes his eyes. He knows this side of Brooke Davis. It's her 'I'm okay. Don't worry about me' face. He knows that she wears it often, too much for his liking. "Don't give me that, Brooke." He curls his hand to the side so he can cup the side of her face, and he directs her to look at him. His blue eyes are deep with worry. "You can pull that with anyone else in the world but not me, okay?"_

_  
She just stares for a moment._

_  
She knows her face is puffy and red, and she's sure she looks like a beached whale, but this is the only thing she's wanted for so long. She doesn't have the strength to put up a fight. "It's ... stupid." she warns first, wiping her palms along her face to dry the tears on her cheeks._

_  
"Try me." Lucas says as he crosses his arms over his chest._

_  
Brooke lets out a heavy sigh and averts her gaze to the ground. "I just ... I had a fight with Julian. He's," she flourishes her hand out and looks towards the door, "staying away for another week. And I told him I wanted him to come home because I wanted him to see the ultrasound picture I got today." She sniffles and realizes how stupid all of this sounds. She just shakes her head, but now that it's started, she doesn't stop herself. "He starts going on about how I'm being unsupportive of him following his dream and that I have to be understanding but..." The tears start to well up in her eyes again. "It's our baby! I just want him to be here."_

_  
"Hey... Shh..." His urge to talk with fists starts to grow. He wipes under her eyes with his thumbs. "He's the one who's missing out, Brooke. And if you want me to be frank with you, I don't know another person in the world who supports the people who matter to her more than you do."_

_  
He shakes his head, "Julian's just being an idiot." There. He said it._

_  
He sees the big smile pop onto her face, and the way she lights up with a giggle. And it's worth it. That's the Brooke Davis he likes to see. "There's that smile," he says as he touches her cheek. Then he asks, "Can I see the ultrasound?"_

_  
Her smile only grows. She nods and pushes herself up from the stairs to walk over to her purse. She shifts a few cards and then grasps onto the black and white picture. It is a profile of her baby. Seeing it is a little surreal, and she already has a place in her baby book for this one. Her thumb slips along the outline of her child as she turns._

_  
Lucas rises from his spot and meets her so she doesn't have to wander back. He takes the picture she offers and the second his eyes fall on the outline of the baby's face, he feels his heart skip a beat. He remembers seeing Penny's first real outline. He knows everything Brooke's going through right now, exactly how she feels, and if Julian chooses not to be there, Lucas surely will. "Oh, wow, Brooke..." He looks at the little line of the baby's face and touches his fingertips tenderly to the picture. "That's incredible."_

_  
She leans in so she can look at the picture again. She can't quite keep her eyes off of it. She wants to share this moment with Julian, but she doesn't necessarily feel like she's losing anything by sharing it with Lucas. Her eyes turn up to his as she beams while whispering, "It's a girl."_

_  
He turns his head to the side so he can look down at her. He sees the big smile on her face now and he knows, as if he didn't know before, that Brooke Davis is going to make an amazing mother. He smiles along with her and then kisses her forehead before he wraps his arm around her again. He eyes the ultrasound again and feels a warmth descend upon him._

_  
It's still awhile before he can see her but he already knows... she's beautiful._

* * *

She's beautiful, even covered in strawberry ice cream.

"Grace," Lucas chuckles, "Grace. Slow down. The ice cream's not going anywhere."

She looks up with wide eyes and shakes her head, "Yeah-huh!" She says very matter-of-factly. "It's melting so I have to finish it!"

He smirks as he sits down at the park table across from her. She's a little ball of fire sometimes and reminds him of Brooke in every way. She always has an answer for everything and constantly talks about what she wants to do. She's driven, even at four years old. Lucas just shakes his head and leans on the wooden table. His eyes scan the playground and fall on Penelope Sawyer Scott, his almost five year old daughter. They had come such a long way since she was born.

He watches her as she bounces in her sneakers beside a woman who's become his best friend. Brooke Davis. He can't take his eyes away from them as she turns from the ice cream truck and hands his daughter a cup of vanilla with rainbow sprinkles, her favorite. She happily grabs the spoon, digs in and shoves her mouth full of it.

When Brooke had gotten home, she suggested a trip to the park, which the girls quickly jumped on. And to be fair, he was easily out voted by the X chromosomes. He watches as the two come back to the table.

Brooke tries to hand Penny a napkin, but she decides to ignore it, quietly and happily munching away at her ice cream.

"It's useless," Lucas says. "I'm always trying to get her to use a napkin but that little munchkin doesn't care for them."

She watches as Grace and Penny share a glance. Whatever they said with their eyes brought giggles from both of them without ever saying a word. Brooke is humbled by them. They are innocent and perfect in their youth. She knows that things won't always be as easy as walks in the park with ice cream, but she hopes that life spares them the heartaches that she and her friends had to endure.

All she wants is to keep her girls safe.

She puts the napkin down by Penny's cup of ice cream and then turns to Lucas. "She's your daughter. I should expect her to get food all over her face."

Lucas gasps, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Brooke answers, slyly.

She's amused, though, when Grace swallows her bite and adds, "It means Uncle Lucas is a messy eater like the Christmas movie."

He looks up curiously. "The Christmas movie?"

Brooke smirks as she looks on at the two girls. "A Christmas Story." She answers simply. "When the brother won't eat his dinner so the mom--"

"--has him eat like a piggie." Lucas finishes as he replays the scene in his head. He turns to Penny and Grace, who both start to giggle uncontrollably. He makes an animated face at them. "What?" They start to laugh louder. The sound of their amusement is infectious and it makes him chuckle. "Do you think I eat like that?"

The two girls share another laugh, tiny faces crinkled in delight.

Brooke shrugs with a winning smile across her lips. "I think the jury has come to a decision, Luke."

He shakes his head. "That's crazy! I don't eat like that!" He leans over the table to Penny's dish of ice cream. "Do I look like I eat like that?" He asks as he takes a few small, but overanxious, bites. Cold, vanilla ice cream spreads over his lips. "See? I don't eat like a piggie!" This time he dives into the ice cream and starts snorting like in the movie, sending the girls into side splitting laughter.

Brooke's face hurts from her own snickers as she takes one of the napkins from the table and turns to Lucas. "I think Daddy lost his mind." She says, shaking her head in amusement as she turns his chin with her fingertip to face her. "You're such a mess." She tells him as she dabs the napkin along the melting dessert on his face.

She's still smiling as she dries it off of his face. "I think you got ice cream up your nose." She teases, cleaning him off carefully. Once his face is dry, she hesitates for a moment. She suddenly realizes how close they are and the smile starts the fade. She feels her stomach tighten in neat, little knots as she averts her eyes up to meet his.

He doesn't even realize he's staring at her until he catches her eyes, and he's stuck. It feels like everything is swirling around him for a minute. Nothing is clear, but he doesn't have the power to pull himself away.

Lucas slowly moves his hand up to touch Brooke's slender wrist. His fingertips brush the skin and in the back of his head, he sees himself leaning in. He watches as he brushes his lips across hers. He imagines they're just as soft as they had been years ago when they shared their last kiss. His stomach tightens and his pulse races momentarily.

He could do it, he realizes. He could lean in. He could kiss her.

He's sure he's already leaning when the sound of a phone ringing shatters the bubble that had wrapped around the moment. Suddenly he's back in the park with his daughter and god-daughter. He's shaken for a moment. Had he just imagined kissing Brooke Davis? Had he just tried to kiss her? He stares into her eyes and sees the same questions shimmering there.

It's a fight for Brooke to turn away, but she does.

Had she really just pictured herself kissing Lucas Scott? After everything they had been through, how could that thought have come to her head? Her cheeks redden as she crumples the used napkin in her fist and realizes it's her phone that's ringing. "Oh..."

She puts the napkin down and tries to push the image of her kissing Lucas out of her head as she grabs her cell phone from her pocket. It almost takes a second for her eyes to adjust to the ID on her phone. She clears her throat, "It's Victoria. I have to get this." She looks at Grace, then Penny... and finds herself afraid to look at Lucas.

"I'll just be a second." She says as she rises from the bench, thankful for the distraction, and flips her phone open.

What the hell is wrong with her? She wonders.

Lucas shakes his head as she walks away and he wonders what is wrong with him.

* * *

**Please review! Good or bad, just don't be cruel. Thanks!!**


	4. Follow Through

**Author's Note: **I've gotten so accustomed to putting up an AN that even when I don't know what to say, like in this one, I still have to put one up. Um, I always believed with OTH that if you're going to bring a character in for us to care about, you should let us know how they're doing now and then. This is something I plan on doing. I like to keep everyone updated the way that I'd like for things to be.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. There's a kinda cliffhanger at the end of it but only because I have a lot planned, and if I wrote it all in just the one chapter, it would be way too long. So I decided to cut it in half and use the rest for the next chapter. Don't hate me! It'll be up soon, promise :)

Thanks again to everyone reading! I'm so humbled by all of your kind comments.

* * *

Sway

Chapter Four

"Follow Through"

_"I don't know, Haley." Brooke Davis slowly shakes her head as she looks down at the little girl on the pink changing table. Penny has most of her fingers in her mouth as she watches Brooke and her god-mother, Haley James Scott, talk back and forth._

_She's a pretty self sufficient child, Brooke has come to learn. She always watches the people around her, curious about their words and actions. She's an observer. Sometimes Brooke wonders what Penny thinks behind those bright eyes. She places her hand atop her rounded belly. Only two more months to go._

_She hopes that her daughter will be just as curious about the world as Penny is._

_"What's there to know?" Haley asks as she watches Brooke with Penny. Things had been tough on all of them when they lost Peyton. But everyone just made a little more room for the baby she left behind. And no one had done that more than Brooke Davis. Haley knows the look on her best friend's face and puts her hands on her hips. "I think you two need each other right now. With Julian working so much and--"_

_But Brooke doesn't let her continue. Well, her hormones don't. Tears well in her dark eyes and she immediately tries to hold them back._

_Haley sees and her face falls. "Brooke?"_

_"I'm sorry." She says as she shakes her head. "Can you finish her up? I need some air."_

_Staring, Haley only manages to blink a few times before she steps in and takes over Brooke's spot. "Brooke--" She tries again, but it's too late. She already waddled out of the room. As she sighs, she hears Penny start to grumble. Her pink lip juts out and Haley swears she's looking in the direction Brooke just left from._

_"Alright, peanut." Haley says as she resnaps Penny's onesie. "Let's go find Aunt Brooke."_

* * *

"Let's go see Aunt Brooke!" Haley's voice is soft and musical as she bounces an eight month old little boy on her hip. His basketball themed diaper bag hangs from her opposite shoulder as she walks up to the white front door.

The infant on her hip has been in a foul mood most of the week thanks the new teeth he was cutting. Haley thought a little trip out of the house would help him. The moment they were in the car, the smile had spread so far across his that Haley had been surprised she hadn't thought of it earlier. When Jamie was a baby, he loved riding around in the car, especially when he wasn't feeling good. It only made sense that his baby brother would love it as much.

She lifts her hand and knocks on the door. As soon as she calls out Brooke's name, her little boy grunts, like he was trying to repeat his mother. She giggles and looks down at him and his big smile. He babbles incoherently as they wait for the door to open. "Oh is that so, mister?" She asks.

He squeals and hides his face in her shoulder.

Haley's hand rubs his back slowly as the front door swings open.

Brooke's face widens as she claps her hands together. "If it's not my favorite person in the whole world!"

"Well no one can say you don't know how to make someone feel welcome." Haley says as she grins widely.

"Huh?" Brooke looks over at Haley and then shakes her head. "Oh. Not you, Hales. I was talking to my little boyfriend!" She scoops Brian into her arms and walks him into the house. As his face lights up, Brooke remembers just how much she loves having babies in the house. Sure it was crazy when both Grace and Penny were young, but she loved it.

She spreads kisses all over his little, chubby face, and ignores Haley for a minute as she flops down on the couch with her god-son. He has the most infectuous laughter. He looks just like his father, down to his eyes and nose. She makes kissy faces at him as he puts his hands on her face. His tiny body shakes with giggles until a random hiccup surprises, and distracts, him.

"I feel all left out." Haley playfully complains as she walks into Brooke's house and closes the door behind her. She puts the diaper bag down on one of the chairs then walks over to the couch and sits beside the two of them.

Brooke hangs her head to the side, looks at Haley, and grins, "Do you want kissy faces too?" She asks as she blows a couple in her best friend's direction.

"Maybe I don't feel that left out."

Brooke grins as she lets Brian curl his hands around her fingers. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of standing yet but he tries. If you hold his hands, he'll rock back and forth and bounce--or as they called it--dance.

Haley crosses one leg over the other and turns to the side. She rests one hand on her temple, her elbow on the back of the couch to keep her up. She eyes her son, who enjoys the attention from his god-mother, then looks to Brooke. "Alright, spill."

"What?" Brooke asks. She refuses to turn to Haley. This way she can at least pretend nothing is botherin her. But the truth is, she spent the whole night with thoughts of the afternoon in the park streaming through her head. She was sure now that there definitely was some leaning involved.

She remembers watching his mouth as he laughed while she cleaned the ice cream off.

Haley reaches out and puts her hand on Brooke's knee. "Hey, you're my best friend. I know that look on your face. Not to mention the not so subtle 'come over now' phone call." Jamie and Andre were spending the afternoon playing video games in the Fields' home, and Nathan had gone out to meet up with Lucas not long before she got the call from Brooke. "What's going on?"

It's like a bandaid, Brooke figures. That's not saying if she had kissed Lucas it would be painful. Or would it? "I.. may have.. possibly.. almost--" Her face squishes up a little and she decides to just spit it out. "--kissed Lucas."

* * *

"Wait a second." Nathan catches the basketball once it bounces off the backboard. He knows Lucas well enough to know that when he starts missing shots, he was really deep in thought. He turns the ball in his hands but doesn't stop the amusement in his voice. "You almost kissed Brooke?"

Lucas's eyes grow larger as he looks over to his daughter and Grace. They were paying no attention at all as they chatter happily with each other. He brought them some sidewalk chalk so they got to paint the Rivercourt.

He steps towards Nathan, "Keep it down. I don't want them to know."

The younger brother bounces the basketball once and then looks up. Who would have thought his older brother would come to him for love advice? He chuckles, "So what, it's been too long and you need some pointers?"

He turns to the net and without much thought at all, tosses the ball. It bounces off the square on the backboard and sinks through the net with a crisp swoosh.

Lucas chuckles, "Trust me when I tell you, I will never come to you for pointers about kissing Brooke Davis."

"Why? Because you spent enough time doing it?" Nathan counters as he jogs for the ball. Once it's caught, he passes it to Lucas, who passes it back.

"Yes." He answers easily. As he realizes what he said, he clears his throat. "I mean, no. That's not--" He lets out a puff of air and knows that he was already doing exactly what he said he would never do. "What am I supposed to do, Nate?" He feels completely helpless. He checks on the girls and then turns back around. "I shouldn't be trying to kiss her. We're not like that."

Nathan rolls his eyes, "Oh come on. That's bull and you know it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks.

Despite the question, he feels his stomach tighten. All he's been thinking of was how pretty she looked the day before. She had this glow when it came to her motherly duties. Her eyes sparkled with laughter as she wiped melting vanilla ice cream from his chin. He remembered how the sun framed her face. Before he knew it, she was staring up at him and he wanted nothing more than to cup his hands on her cheeks and crash his lips against hers.

"You know exactly what it means." Nathan says simply. He watches the way his brother's face turns up, eyeing the smile that rest upon it. Nathan surely knows that smile. He's seen it on Lucas's face more times than he can count. It's his 'thinking about Brooke Davis' smile. "You and Brooke have been attached at the hip since Penny was born." He shrugs once. "To be honest, I'm surprised you haven't kissed her yet."

Lucas looks away and closes his eyes. He has to swallow past a knot before he stumbles over his words. "She's with Julian." He says quickly.

"That punk's never even around." Nate answers just as quickly. "And you know Brooke deserves better."

Scrambling for something else, Lucas spits out, "What about the girls?"

"Like they don't already consider the four of you a family." He points towards where the two of them are sitting. "Do you even see what they're drawing?"

He hasn't looked yet but when Nathan points it out, he does. In various colors, there's two grown ups, a man and a woman, and two little girls. "That--could be anyone." He says, even though he sees the grown up woman has dark hair, much like one of the young girls.

Nate snorts, "Luke, come on. That stick figure looks just like you!"

He smiles but just looks down. "What about Peyton?"

* * *

_"What about Julian?" Haley asks._

_The two girls are sitting on the back porch as twilight settles on the city. With the sunset barely visible over the tree tops, the sky dances in beautiful shades of pink and purple. If you look hard enough, you can see the stars start to shine through. It was Brooke's favorite time of day._

_"I don't know." She whispers as she rubs her palm slowly along her swollen belly. "I know what he's going to say. I know he's going to think it's a bad idea." Part of Brooke knows she shouldn't be considering Lucas's offer. Just earlier he told her she should move in with him. At seven months pregnant, Brooke was barely self sufficient anymore._

_He worries about her being alone while Julian's away, he'd told her._

_"What do __**you**__ think?" Haley questions as she rubs her hand slowly against Penny's back. The infant had refused to go to sleep, Haley noticed, until she was sitting out here with Brooke. She already has a connection to the baby, and vice versa._

_Brooke just shrugs. She doesn't want to think about this but she knows she has to handle it. "I think.." She starts. She wants to make sure her words come out the way she wants them to. After a few passing moments, she stops trying. "..I'm tired of being alone, Haley." Her nose is red from keeping the tears at bay. "Julian's gone all the time. And it gets so quiet in the house at night."_

_She looks down at her belly when she feels the baby inside kick her. She smiles though. She likes knowing, and feeling, her baby. She whispers to the little girl who still doesn't have a name. Julian never has time to go through the baby names books with her._

_Pressing her lips together, she shifts a little. "I want to." She admits in a small voice._

_"Then do it, Brooke." Haley keeps her voice down so she doesn't wake Penny. "You're very pregnant and Lucas is right. You shouldn't be alone. Julian loves you. He'll want you to feel safe."_

_"Yeah," she mumbles under her breath. As if on cue, the front door opens and she hears Lucas's voice. "Out here." She calls then turns to Haley. "Quick, give me the baby."_

_Haley just shakes her head, "You can't hide behind her, Brooke."_

* * *

"You can't hide behind her, Luke."

Nathan takes another shot, easily sidestepping his brother. After he dunks the ball, he turns and sighs. "Oh, well now it's not going to be fun to kick your butt if you aren't even trying."

Lucas makes a half-assed smirk and then walks towards the wooden table. He hears Nathan follow him as he finally sits down. He remembers the night he found the painting of the comet on the court. I will always love you, it said. Now, years have passed, and it was all but faded. He could barely see it. Much like he could barely see everyone's signatures from the night of their graduation. It was all just gone, as were the people they had been back then.

He looks over to Penny and Grace, who were now hopscotching along the three point line. "I'm not hiding behind her." He says with a sigh.

"Luke.." Nathan puts the basketball down between his feet and leans back.

"I'm not." He says with more conviction as he rests his elbows on his knees. Then he sighs, "Okay. Maybe I am." He admits. "A little. But I have to. We were married. Isn't it a little too soon to be thinking about someone else?"

Nathan doesn't say anything for a minute. The truth is that Peyton has been dead for a long time. Penny's birthday was only a week away. It will have been five years. "Alright, I'm going to say something and it's gonna really make me sound like an asshole but I think maybe you should hear it." He waits to see if Lucas is going to tell him not to say anything. When he doesn't get anything, he continues. "You had a thing with Peyton at the beginning of junior year, then again at the end of senior year. You ended up breaking up while she was in LA and you didn't even get back together until your impromptu trip to Vegas. Then she was pregnant, you got married, and she was gone."

Lucas can replay all of that in his head. But for the first time in a long time, when he thinks about high school, he thinks about Brooke. "What's your point?" He asks, full of surprise at the images that have come to his head.

"My point is, Luke, she died. That doesn't mean you did." Nathan nods over to where the girls were playing with each other. "Penny is proof of that. All that time you spent with Peyton? You spent just as much with Brooke. Not to mention that you two haven't gone a day in the past five years without seeing each other. I just think that, if you have feelings for Brooke, you shouldn't be afraid of figuring them out." He leans forward and asks, "Is this the first time you've thought about kissing her?"

He considers what Nathan asked for a moment and then pushes himself up from the bench. "I think I should just talk to her." He easily side-steps the questions. "If she's not even interested then there's really no point to be worrying about this." He clears his throat and as he watches his brother's mouth open to ask his question again, Lucas quickly turns. "Grace! Penny! Let's go. It's getting dark."

He needs to get home.

* * *

_It's getting dark as Lucas walks out of the house and into the back yard. He smiles, "Look at that, it's my three favorite girls."_

_Haley smiles though she sees the look on Brooke's face. She stands, "Make that two." She says as she hands Penny to Lucas and then gives him a kiss on the cheek. She knows that they will have a lot to talk about. Secretly, she was rooting for Brooke--but that's not something you say outloud._

_"I'll call you later." She smiles as she walks out._

_Brooke nods, "Thanks for everything." Then she waves and puts her hands back on her belly._

_Once Haley's gone, Lucas excuses himself. He walks back inside to put his sleeping daughter into her crib. He whispers a soft 'I love you' as he brushes the back of his fingers across her soft tuft of hair. She's his life, his reason for being. Nothing could be better than that._

_As he reaches for the baby monitor, he sees a picture beside her crib. It was one of him that he hadn't even realized was taken. He was sitting on the couch with Penny when she was a newborn. He looked tired but still in awe of the beautiful creature in his arms._

_Brooke must have taken it._

_He smiles, then takes the baby monitor and heads for the back porch again. He only stops to grab a fresh, red apple from the basket on the counter, and a knife from the drawer. He walks out to the backyard and sits in the chair that Haley had vacated. "Penny's down for the count." He says as he puts the monitor on his chair. He doesn't even think about it as he starts to cut up the apple._

_"Yeah, she fell asleep pretty easily. Haley's got that comforting mom touch."_

_When Lucas holds a sliver out to her, Brooke's mouth immediately starts to water. She thanks him and takes it, sinking her teeth into the fruit instantly. The juices fill her mouth and make her eyes roll into the back of her head. "Oh God, that's so good." She holds out the other half of the slice. "Here, take a bite."_

_Lucas smiles and leans in to chomp the piece from her grasp. As he chews, he makes happy noise, then starts to carve her another piece. "So, have you thought about my offer any?" He sees the look that crosses her face and hands her the second slice. "I know it's a lot to ask but I really don't like you being alone."_

_She wants to tell him just how much she doesn't like being alone either. Instead, she just smiles. "Don't lie, Lucas. You only asked me to stay because if I didn't, your house would be a complete mess and no laundry would get done. I'm not a live-in maid, you know." It was just a defense mechanism though. It wasn't easy for Brooke to admit that she needs--no, wants, help._

_Lucas knows this because he knows Brooke. He has seen her do it a million times before. She needs to be the one who's needed, not the one who needs someone else. So he plays along, "You're right. I should know not to lie to you." He hands her another slice._

_She points it at him with it. "That's right. I'll always figure you out. However, considering that I love my beautiful god daughter, I'm willing to sacrifice."_

_He chuckles, one good, rolling laugh that brought light back to his face. Brooke hasn't seen that light in such a long time. "Well good. I don't know what I'd do without you, pretty girl."_

_The smile that crosses her face also makes her cheeks redden in realization. It's been a long time since Lucas has called her that. She lowers her eyes for a moment and decides not to say anything about it. She just takes a bite of her apple and figures things don't need to be complicated right now._

* * *

It's so complicated.

Why does it have to be complicated?

Does she make things more complicated then they need to be?

Brooks huffs as she rests her chin on her palm and looks down at baby Brian in his bouncy chair. She taps her fingertips against her cheek and makes a face at him. "Just so you know, when you grow up, don't do something like this. If you're going to kiss a girl, you should just kiss her. It will be so much easier than _maybe_ kissing someone and letting them sit around to wonder whether that's what you were even going to do in the first place."

He gurgles a response and then giggles, his face wide in amusement.

"You're enjoying my pain, aren't you?" She asks.

Brian cooes happily, claps his hands together and presses them to his mouth.

She can't help but melt at his little face. "You're gonna be a little heart breaker one day, Brian Royal Scott." Brooke Davis leans in easily and kisses his chubby, slobbery cheek. She loves him as much as she loves her older god-son. All she can do is smile around them. Jamie's getting so big now and even Brian grew a little more every day. It makes her think how big her own child was getting.

The doorbell sounds, followed by three knocks.

Brooke hops up. "Who's that, Bri? Is that your mommy?" She gives his tummy a playful squish and then gets up. 'That was fast,' she thought. Haley had gone out not too long ago to pick up Jamie from Dre's house. But it wasn't that long ago.

She walks to the door, turns the knob and slowly opens it. "We've been waiting for--" Her sentance falls short as she sees the man standing in her doorway. Her chest tightens and she's sure her heart stopped.

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

The only reaction she gets is two hands on her elbows that pull her forward into a pair of warm lips.

**AN: Here's a fun game. Where does the baby's name come from?**

Thanks as always for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, good or bad, just don't be cruel! * Rosie


	5. What About Now

**Author's Note:** Things are really getting exciting right now for me. The story is going to start unraveling and I'm so excited. Once I get my schedule for next week, I'll have a better idea of when I'll update this again. Also, I want to thank the three of you who PMd me and asked me to continue. Excitement like that is one of the main reasons I really keep this going. I would also like to thank, once again, Miss Corey (BRUCAS123) because she BETA-d this chapter even though she's sick. It means the world to me that you care about this story as much as I do.  
I would also like to thank my best friend, Maranda. As much as I know she hates not getting spoiled and not being the one I go to for this story, she looks past it so that she can make me happy and make sure that I get an honest opinion from her. She knows how much that means to me. Thank you.  
And now, no further adieu..

* * *

"What About Now"

Brian grumbles as his hands curl into fists. His face turns down with the grunt and Brooke is thankful for the distraction. She turns to look at him. She can feel those hands on her arms and she has to get away. She walks over to the baby and picks him up before she finally turns back to the man at the door.

It's Julian Baker, Brooke's wayward boyfriend, who spends more time on sets around the world then at home with her and their child. She's not sure if she wants to be happy or angry. She does know that she doesn't want to upset the already grumpy Brian, so she holds her tongue for now. "I didn't know you were coming."

"That's why it's a surprise." He says as he walks into the house, leaving his bags by the door. He eyes the baby and clears his throat, "Is there something you want to tell me?" For half a second, he wonders if she had a baby without his knowledge. Has he been gone that long?

She looks up at him curiously and then down at Brian. "What?"

Julian walks over to her and he pretends not to notice how her shoulders go stiff. "Who's the little guy?"

Brooke eyes widen. How could he ask that question? While she wants to snap at him, she holds back. "It's Brian. Haley went to pick up Jamie so I'm watching him." When was the last time he was home? She tries to remember but her mind goes slightly blank. It shouldn't be like this. She doesn't want it to be like this. But he always says he loves her. She needs to be supportive of him. He's achieving his dream.

"Br--No way." He looks at the little boy and lets out a slow breath. He's never even met Brian. Haley was still pregnant the last time he was home. "How old is he?" He wonders aloud. His stomach tightens with nerves when he hears her say he's eight months. It's been so long.

* * *

_It's been so long since Lucas felt like his life was starting to work out. Of course, he's happy to be with his daughter. And he loves having the support of his mom, best friend and brother. But now he feels like he had some kind of importance that has made him more into a person, than just a father._

_Brooke Davis. She is incredible and independent, these things he has always known. But she's also stubborn and would sacrifice everything she has to make everyone else happy. That's exactly what she's doing now with Julian._

_Honestly, Lucas feels a little responsible for that. He had really pushed them to be together. Now the man that Lucas had thought would make Brooke happy only makes her sad. He hates that he was a part of that._

_He walks up to the front door and knocks on it. Today is move in day. He had left Penny with his mother so he could move Brooke's things without worrying about the little girl feeling neglected. He's excited, more than he thought he would be. And since he knows it's probably going take Brooke awhile to get to the door, he decides to just open the door and let himself in._

_He pulls out the key from his jeans pocket, twists it open and pushes the door. "Brooke! I'm coming in." He calls out so she doesn't worry._

_But as he steps in, he can only stare._

_Julian looks up at him from the couch. "Hey, Luke." He doesn't feel comfortable knowing that his woman's ex-lover has a key to her house. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I could ask the same thing," he snaps. He's been with Brooke this whole time. He's watched her cry over Julian, and the last thing he wants to do is be civil. But he also knows that Brooke doesn't need any drama in her life right now. She is very pregnant so he doesn't want to start anything. For her sake. "I mean--we thought you'd be in LA for another couple weeks."_

_Julian puts his hand on the couch and pushes himself up. Lucas Scott is a good guy, and he's probably only being nice to a friend, but Julian can't take that chance. He had already lost one girl he truly cared about to him. He won't lose another. "Came home early," he says simply. "Brooke mentioned moving in with you."_

_"So that's what this is about."_

_"You're damn right that's what this is about," Julian hisses. He keeps his voice low but steps in. "Who do you think you are? What kind of man invites another man's pregnant girlfriend to live with him?"_

_Lucas is trying but it's getting harder and harder. "I was just trying to help, Julian. She's alone here all the time. It's not safe." He isn't trying to come on to Brooke. He is just trying to help. At least, that's what he thinks he's doing. When Julian says it, it sounds a lot worse. Is it?_

_"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm home, now."_

_However, Lucas lifts his head when he hears a voice from the other room echo through the hall. It is Brooke asking for help to reach something. He starts to take a step forward but a hand on his chest stops him._

_Julian is shocked at how dense Lucas is. Didn't he just hear what was said? "I got it, Luke. She's mine. She's my girlfriend and it's my baby she's having. If she needs help, I'll help her. Not you." He pushes back a little, stone cold expression on his face. "Just stay away from her."_

_Lucas just stares as Julian turns and heads down the hall._

_"Coming, baby." Julian says as he disappears into the bedroom._

* * *

"Come on, daddy!" Penny squeals as she runs up the grass towards the front of the house.

"I'm coming, baby." Lucas says with a smile as he shuts the backdoor of his car once Grace slides out. He holds his hand out for her and she takes it easily, like it's no big deal for her to hold his hand. He likes feeling this close to his god daughter. She's sweet and kind, and the perfect friend to his little Penny.

"Did you have fun at the park today?" He asks Grace. She looks tired, he notes, and she probably needs a nap. Penny however looks like she's ready for a marathon race--which he knows means that she's going to pass out soon. He watches her do a couple gymnastics rolls as he walks up towards the house.

Grace nods sleepily, "Mmhmm. Me and Penny drew our families."

Being friends with Haley James Scott, Lucas doesn't even realize as he corrects. "Penny and I."

The little brunette just shakes her head and points into her chest. "No. It's was me and Penny. Not you."

Lucas chuckles and looks down at her as he swings their arms back and forth. "No, Grace. I didn't mean it was me with Penny drawing the families. Saying Penny and I is the right way to say it."

Her face squishes up for a second as she considers this and then finally shakes it. "Mm-mm. You were playing with Uncle Nathan. It was me and Penny drawing. 'Member?" She asks when they get to the door.

Lucas reaches into his pocket to grab the key and unlock the door. Talking proper grammar with a four year old probably isn't the best thing to do. So instead he goes along with it. "Oh! You're right. I was hanging out with Uncle Nathan, wasn't I?"

She nods happily as he opens the door.

He lets go of Grace's hand and reaches for Penny. "Come on, Pen. Let's get you cleaned up. It's nap time."

"I don't want to nap." She groans, reluctantly moving towards her father. She's given a reprieve however when she hears a car pull into the driveway. She brightens and bounces back on her heals before taking off after the boy she sees in the passenger side. "Jamie!"

A handsome eleven year old steps out of the car and leans down to give his little cousin a hug. "What's up, little bit?" He asks as he puts his arm over her shoulder and walks her towards the door. He sees the chalk on her hands and makes a face, "You went to the park without me, didn't you?"

Lucas smiles as she giggles and then looks up to see Haley slip out of the car. "Hey Hales. Where's the baby?" He asks as he gives her a hug, too.

Before she has a chance to answer, Grace's voice pipes up. "Daddy!"

He doesn't even think, he just turns. "Yeah, baby?" But she darts into the house.

Lucas doesn't feel the curious stare Haley gives him as he walks into the Davis house. "Grace, where'd you--" He stops mid-sentence as he sees the little dark haired girl hanging from Julian Baker's arm like a monkey. She squeals in delight and giggles when he pulls her into his arms.

Julian looks over at Lucas in his front door and just stares as he holds his little girl. "Hey Luke."

* * *

_"Hey Luke..." Brooke holds her phone against her ear as she paces behind the counter of Clothes Over Bros. It's been a couple of days since she's seen him and it isn't like them. Ever since Julian came back to town, things have been different and she doesn't like them one bit. "It's me."_

_Her voice is soft, raspy and quiet. She doesn't know why she feels like she's been punched but her chest hurts. "I just haven't talked to you in awhile and..." And what? Why didn't she write down what she planned on saying before making the call? Why didn't she at least have an outline? She presses her lips together and lets out a small sigh._

_Why did this feel so hard?_

_"I miss you." She says into the phone before slowly bringing it down from her ear to flip it closed. Is he angry with her? Why isn't he talking to her? What did she do? She tries to think back on what she may have done. She goes through the last couple of times they've hung out but nothing comes to mind._

_"I miss you, too."_

_The voice makes her turn quickly and her cell phone falls from her hand. He looks at it and then to the door. She presses her hand against her chest, "My God. Luke, you scared me. Do you really think it's a good idea to sneak up on someone who has issues with being alone in her store?"_

_He smiles at her as he walks into the shop. "I didn't mean to scare you." He steps around the counter, bends to pick up her phone and then rises. He places it on the counter before looking at her rounded stomach. The smile on his face widens slightly as he, unable to control himself, reaches his fingers out to brush over it. "How's she doing?"_

_Her pulse flickers and she swallows a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Who? The girl with the issues or the baby?"_

_"Both," he says feeling the baby move beneath his fingers. He is anxious to meet this little girl that made Brooke's dreams come true. He wants to hold her and see Brooke in her eyes, smiling back at him. He shrugs that thought away, though, as his thumb circles the spot she'd kicked._

_Brooke doesn't want to say anything to ruin it. She just watches him with the bump, and it makes her smile. He has always been so kind and tender with her, careful and caring. She would never admit it but sometimes, late at night when Julian had been gone for weeks on end and it was just the two of them and Penny, she would pretend they were a family. Just for a second. Then guilt would take over and she'd swear to herself she wouldn't do it again. "We're fine." She finally admits. "I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. He said everything's good."_

_"Good. That's good." He hates not seeing her regularly. He has relied on her so much lately. Maybe she doesn't deserve the extra burden but he likes thinking that he's able to help her, too._

_She hesitates for a moment before blurting. "Why haven't you called?" God, she sounds so needy. Brooke hates sounding needy but she can't change what she said or how she said it. It's out there now._

_Lucas considers answering the question honestly. He considers telling her what Julian said, but he doesn't want to start trouble for them. Besides, he's seen her with him. She looks happy. And she deserves to be happy. "I should go."_

_"Lucas." She shakes her head and reaches for his arm as he starts to move away._

_"No, Brooke. Now's just not a good time." He's had a lot of time alone with his daughter. Feeling the loss of Brooke around was different then losing Peyton. Maybe knowing Brooke is still out there with someone who isn't right for her makes it worse._

_"Well then when will be a good time for you?" She crosses her arms over her chest, resting on top of her stomach._

_He holds his hands up and retreats. "I'm sorry. I just can't."_

_"Lucas..." She doesn't want to do this. She doesn't want to cry, but she's seen this scene before. She remembers seeing Lucas backing away from her after the party at the high school shortly after the school shooting. She has always felt like she lost a big part of him that day and now she worries that she's losing him again. The tears easily fill her eyes. "Please don't leave."_

_He's seen her cry before but not like this. The past couple months it's always been about Julian. Now they're tears he's causing her to cry, something he hasn't done in many years. It stops him. "Brooke, don't cry."_

_"What did I do?" She asks, almost as if she hasn't heard anything he said. "Just tell me what I did. I hate us not talking and I feel like it's my fault."_

_"It's not your fault."_

_"Why have you been avoiding me?" Her hands go to her face and wipe at the tears. It's so easy to cry now and that is one thing she's hoping goes away after she gives birth. Lately everything makes her cry, and while she could blame these tears on hormones, she knows in her heart it's something deeper. Something more significant than just having a bad day._

_He steps forward, wanting to comfort her. He can't stand her crying. "Brooke."_

_"Tell me." She insists, not sounding as demanding as she planned on._

_"I can't!" He growls back, and in his mind, he really can't. She needs to be able to have this without him making problems for them. So Julian was a jerk to him, so what? That doesn't mean anything. He's just trying to take care of his girlfriend, right?_

_She wipes her hands over her cheeks and bites her bottom lip. "Why?" She watches his face and she sees the struggle. There is something he's trying not to say and it's driving her crazy. Why can't he tell her? Is it really that bad? "Lucas..."_

_He doesn't even think. He leans in, hand cupped at the side of her face and he brushes his mouth against her lips. The kiss is soft and short, too short, but it shakes her down to her toes. Her eyes are still closed as he slowly pulls back and gives her another kiss on the forehead._

_"I've got to go." He whispers as he pulls himself away from her and walks out of the shop._

* * *

Haley walks into the house with Jamie and Penny at her side. She's not really sure if she heard what she did. Oh, forget it. Yes, she did. She knows exactly what happened. She saw the way Lucas jumped the second he heard Grace say daddy.

It isn't until she steps through the doorway that she realizes Grace wasn't calling to Lucas. "Julian. What a surprise!"

Jamie also notices Julian and just crosses his arms over his chest. Ever since he was a little boy, he's been in his Aunt Brooke's corner. He isn't a kid anymore, and he's been able to see exactly what has been going on. "What's he doing here?" He questions under his breath, getting an elbow from his mom.

"It's good to see you again too, Jamie." Julian says as he gives Haley a small hug. "You look great. And Brian's so big. I can't believe how fast he's growing."

A small part of Brooke really wants to point out that Julian didn't even know who Brian was a few minutes ago. But she doesn't say it. No point in it. "Grace, baby, why don't you take Penny and Jamie to your room and feed your fish?" Lucas had won a goldfish for both her and Penny. Ever since, Grace has been obsessed with fish and wanted nothing more than a fish tank for her birthday.

Grace excitedly rushes over to Jamie and takes his hand. "Mama got me a new one. It's yellow and purple and I named him Bob!"

"Oh really?" Jamie says as he takes her hand, "Come on and show me Bob, monkey." The three head down towards the hall. Jamie was a pro at knowing when parents needed 'adult talk' time.

Lucas listens to them chatter happily before looking down at the floor. He shouldn't be here. He can't hang around while Julian's here. And he surely isn't going to be able to talk to Brooke about the almost kiss while he is. He clears his throat and turns to Haley, "Do you think you can drop Penny off when you head home? I have to go… do something."

She nods, "Sure."

But as he leaves, it's Brooke that watches him. He doesn't even say goodbye. "I'll be right back," she says as she heads to the door. Before stepping out, she turns on her heal and passes Brian back off to Haley, then heads out.

"Brooke--" Julian calls after her.

"I'll just be a second," she says as she hurries outside. She sees Lucas already at his car and calls out to him. "Luke! Wait..."

He looks up honestly a little surprised that she chased after him. "Brooke, I have to--"

"No, you don't." She puts her hands on her hips. "You've done that to me a million times," she says about calling her on it when she's about to lie. "And every time you say it's because you know me so well. Well guess what, I know you, too. So what's going on?"

"It's nothing," he says, grabbing his keys out of his jeans and shoving one in the car door to unlock it.

"Lucas Scott!" Her voice is stern as she watches him get into the car. No way is she letting him just drive away like this. It's probably irrational but she steps out into the street and stands in front of his car. "Don't you lie to me. What is it? Why are you leaving?"

He turns the key to start the car but she doesn't leave. He feels a tidal wave of emotion move around him and he can't hold it in. She's not budging, so he lets out a huff and throws the door open. "You really want to know why?" He asks, one foot in the car, the other on the ground. He half leans on the hood of the car, half on the window.

"Yes!" She insists, "I really want to know why!"

He barely lets her get to the word 'know' when it just comes spilling out. "Because of him, Brooke. That's why." He sees her start to open her mouth and he doesn't let her say anything. "Because he breezes back into your life but when he leaves again, who's going to be there to pick you up? Who's going to sit down with Grace and tell her it's not her fault that her dad's not staying?"

"I do that!" She hisses, throwing her hands out at her side. "I'm her mother. I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not that same pregnant girl who couldn't do anything for herself. Grace is four, Luke. And F.Y.I, I never complained about having to pick you up when Peyton died."

He shakes his head, "I'm not... complaining."

"Oh no?" Her hands are back on her hips.

"No."

"Because it sounds a lot like you are. And since when do you have to explain to my daughter why her father is out of town? I never once asked you to do that." Secure that he isn't going to just drive off, Brooke lets her anger fuel her as she walks towards the door.

"She asks." Lucas said, stepping out from behind the door. "She's smart and she asks a million different questions and every time Julian leaves town, she always asks why. How are you supposed to make a four year old understand that she's loved even if her father would rather chase his dream around the world than spend time with her?" He watches her closely as she looks down. "And what's that even teaching her? That it's okay to be with a man that treats her horribly and runs away every chance he gets? You really want to raise her to stay in a relationship with the wrong guy?"

She looks up then, confused. "Wrong... guy? What are you talking about?"

He feels the way he felt in the park. She looks up at him and he's lost in that moment. The whole world is spinning out of control but he can only see her. Maybe Nathan is right, and this has been a lot longer in the making than he orginally thought. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," he says. It takes every ounce of courage he has in his body to move his hand forward and touch hers. His fingers curl against her palm, pulling her just an inch closer.

She's lost, hardly able to think, barely able to breathe. Nothing seems to exist for a small moment. She shakes her head, or at least, thinks she does. "Luke..."

The feeling is growing between both of them, ready to explode and he can't help himself. He doesn't want to. "Shh," he whispers as he leans in and very gently brushes his lips across hers. All the worries about tomorrow are laid to rest for the moment. All he needs to feel is her and this moment.

She's floating. She's sure of it.

As he slowly breaks the kiss and opens his eyes, he sees hers are still closed. "Brooke."

She just presses her lips together and moves her hand to his chest. She sniffles once and then looks up at him. He just kissed her. She's surprised but excited. She's thought about this happening. She's wondered about what his lips would feel like on hers. Again. It has been so long since she's felt them. But everything is just flowing against her, through her.

"Brooke, say something." He's sure he'll go crazy if she doesn't.

She lets out a shaky breath and taps her fingers on his chest once as she fights back the tears in her eyes. "It's my turn to go." She whispers and takes two steps back. "I'm sorry, Luke. This... can't happen." She wants it. She screams out for it. But it can't.

Turning, she walks up towards her house with her arms wrapped around her body, trying to calm herself so she doesn't look a mess when she goes inside.

Lucas, on the other hand, just stands outside and watches her go.

What did he just do?

* * *

**AN: **You probably already know this song but the lyrics are beautifully Brucas, so I wanted to post them. Please enjoy. As always, please review, just don't be cruel. *Rosie

Shadows fill an empty heart  
As love is fading,  
From **all the things that we are  
But are not saying.**

**Can we see beyond the scars**  
And make it to the dawn?  
Change the colors of the sky.  
And open up to

**The ways you made me feel alive,  
The ways I loved you.  
For all the things that never died**,  
To make it through the night,  
Love will find you.

What about now?  
What about today?  
**What if you're making me  
all that I was meant to be?  
What if our love never went away?  
What if it's lost behind words  
we could never find?**  
Baby, before it's too late,  
What about now?

The sun is breaking in your eyes  
To start a new day.  
**This broken heart can still survive  
With a touch of your grace.**  
Shadows fade into the light.  
**I am by your side**,  
Where **love will find you**.

What about now?  
What about today?  
**What if you're making me  
all that I was meant to be?  
What if our love,  
it never went away?  
What if it's lost behind words  
we could never find?**  
Baby, before it's too late,  
What about now?

Now that we're here,  
**Now that we've come this far,  
Just hold on.**  
**There is nothing to fear,  
For I am right beside you.**  
For all my life,  
I am yours.

What about now?  
What about today?  
**What if you're making me all  
that I was meant to be?  
What if our love never went away?  
What if it's lost behind  
words we could never find?**  
Baby before it's too late,  
**What about now?**


	6. Facing Up

**A/N:** Hey guys! I know it's been a little while since I last updated and I want to thank you all for being patient with me. Between work and the holidays, I really just needed a break. However, after receiving a couple of super sweet private messages asking me to update, I knew it was time. This chapter is a little shorter than the others but it's mostly because this and the next sort of bleed together. It means I would have had a super huge chapter (which I'm sure some of you wouldn't mind). However, I do have half of the next chapter written so I'll be keeping up with it. Now that Christmas is approaching, I may be a little spotty but I do want to promise every one of my readers that I'm not giving up on this story. I already have the end planned out in my head and it's much to perfect not to write. You'll understand soon enough.

I also want to dedicate this chapter to everyone who's been wanting to see some anti-Julian stuff (which naturally means pro-Lucas). This chapter is for you guys. I hope you enjoy and thank you again, so much, for reading. I love that you can all share in the vision I have for this amazing couple that was totally screwed on t.v. Enjoy.

* * *

"Facing Up"  
Written: 12/10/2009

There is a loud bang as Julian Baker's hand wipes out across the counter and knocks his papers off of the table. He had been reading through some scripts his father had sent him, until Brooke came barging into the room. He whirls out of the chair and goes to his feet. "What, Brooke. What did I do this time?"

Her eyes just widen as his papers scatter along the floor. "Oh, that's real mature. You're acting like your daughter."

"That's right!" He pipes up as he feels the anger boil. He tries to keep his voice down but he just can't. "My daughter, because in case you forgot, she is _my_ daughter. Not--"

"Not what!?" Brooke yells back at him. This whole fight is pointless. It's like every time they're in the same room, they just can't stop yelling at each other. She's so angry at him for so many things that she has never let out. It would be easier if he just hadn't come back from California. No, she shouldn't think that. Grace is always so happy to see her father.

When Julian doesn't answer, she pulls her fingers through her mid-length chestnut locks. She paces slightly and bites her tongue so she doesn't yell again. "Look, Grace is trying to sleep. Let's just talk later."

When did she become the girl who pushes problems aside? It isn't like her and she knows it, but she just doesn't want to argue anymore.

Standing amidst his fallen papers, Julian looks over at the girl that he had so easy to fallen in love with. For the first time, he sees past the whole strong facade and he can see how close she is to crying. He can't help himself as he lets out a breath and grumbles, "I saw you kiss him."

"What are you talking about?" She asks, but almost instantly, Brooke knows. She thinks about standing outside with Lucas when he left. He'd been so tender and soft, so sweet and kind, and the kiss had sent her world swirling around her.

Julian just stares, "You know what I'm talking about."

Brooke crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at the floor. There's a toy just a few feet away from her that belongs to Penny. She and Grace are so intertwined they often leave their toys at each other's home. And while it's a tough pill to swallow, Brooke is beginning to realize that she and Lucas are just as intertwined as their girls. "Julian..."

He shakes his head, "I must have been crazy to come back." His voice is no louder than a dull roar as he turns into the living room. He grabs a spare blanket from the closet and plops down on the couch. He stretches out and pulls the blanket over him as he grabs the remote control and turns the tv on. He's accustomed to hotel room and infomercials and can't sleep without them anymore.

From a few feet away, Brooke just stares at him before heading to her room. She stops at the door, huffs and goes back to the living room, only to pick up the mess of dropped papers.

* * * *

"Are you crazy?" Haley puts her paper down and looks at her blue-eyed friend, who'd pretty much just dropped an anvil on the top of her head.

Lucas's eyes widen. He hadn't totally expected that reaction. Taking a breath, he nods. "I think I might be."

With Brian napping and Jamie playing basketball with his dad at the Rivercourt, Haley had been ready for an afternoon of relaxing, catching up on some news, and maybe doing some laundry. But all of that had been easy sideswiped when Lucas had come for a visit. "Let me get this straight." She puts her hands up like she's trying to keep all of the information at bay until she is ready to deal with it. "You kissed Brooke, in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day, while her boyfriend was a few feet away inside her house?"

"When you put it that way, it sounds bad." Lucas says as he leans forward on the table, "I don't know what I was thinking. I just saw him and--" While he wants to spill everything, he doesn't exactly feel like he can. It wouldn't be fair. If he was going to spill his guts out, it should be to Brooke, not Haley. He sidetracks with something else he believes, "He's not right for her."

"Luke..." Actually, Haley had seen this coming. They had been practically inseparable for years, and she'd seen the look on his face and how quickly he'd reacted when he heard Grace call out for daddy.

"He's not." Lucas is going to hold on to this even if he doesn't say the rest of what he's really feeling. "He's gone all the time. He rarely comes home. Grace barely sees him. And come on, the guy talks about how big Brian's gotten but he hasn't even been back since you gave birth."

She sighs, "I'm not arguing with you. I don't like that he's not around either but being with him isn't your decision to make. It's Brooke's."

"But she's making the wrong one!" He pushes his hands on the table to stand and finds himself pacing back and forth, his hands on his hips. "She needs to be with someone who can take care of her and support her. She deserves someone who's going to love her and her daughter endlessly, someone who looks at her and can't--imagine a world where she doesn't exist. She needs someone who can grab her, kiss her, in the middle of a crowded room and--"

"--not care who sees it?" Haley finishes.

She's known Lucas since they were young and she probably knows him better than anyone. She can instantly see what he's saying, even if it's something that he can't see himself. Haley watches him pace as she leans forward.

"Exactly!" he cries. Then he stops pacing when it sinks in. He had just admitted it. That's exactly what he had done. He didn't care if Julian saw him kissing Brooke. He didn't care what the neighbors saw.

He's talking about himself. As the realization hits, he looks at Haley and just sees a knowing smirk on her face. He walks over and slides down into the chair he'd just vacated and sighs. What is he going to do?

* * * *

_What is she going to do?_

_Brooke paces in the living room with her cell phone in her hand. As much as she mentally begs the phone to ring, it's not ringing. Tears are streaming down her face again, but this time, she had reason for them. Her heart is racing out of her chest and she's sure she's going to pass out from fear alone._

_Why isn't he calling her?_

_She dials his number again and listens to the ringing. "Come on, come on..." She begs the ringing. Please God, please. But the phone rolls to voicemail._

_"This is Julian. I'm not here right now so leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Beep._

_Oh, how she wants to throw the phone, but she has had bad luck with throwing phones in the past. Instead, she grips it just a little tighter and swallows past the knot in her throat. "Julian, it's Brooke. Again. I need you to call me back. Please." And this time, as she pounds on the off button, she imagines it's his face she's hitting. She's never been so scared, and she can just imagine him sitting at a large, oval shaped table in a meeting with his father as he presses the call ignore button._

_She tries him just one more time but it doesn't even ring. Did he really just turn his phone off? "Damnit," she hisses as she curls her hand along the mound of her pregnant belly. "Okay. It's going to be okay. He's gonna call back. You'll see. Just hold on.." But almost the second she says it, she feels this immense pain roll through her body like it's angry._

_Brooke bends forward, holding her belly as she lets out a cry. Okay, there is no time to wait. It's only been four minutes since her last contraction. The baby is going to come and she can't wait for Julian to answer her call._

_With her lips pursed, she lets out short breaths as she dials the one number she'd wanted to dial in the first place. Please answer, she begs the phone and lets out a sigh of relief as it finally clicks. "Hey, Brooke..."_

_Lucas's voice is hesitant. He isn't sure he should be answering the call in the first place. They haven't spoken in almost a month, not since he kissed her in the shop and then left. At first, she called a lot, asking him to talk to her. Then the calls waned. But this time, when he looked at her name on the caller I.D., he couldn't ignore it._

_"Lucas--"_

_She sounds like she's crying. He knows she's pregnant so he assumes she's having an emotional day. He doesn't want to argue with her today or tell her again that he can't explain why he can't talk to her. "Right now isn't really a good time. I'm kind of busy." He looks down at the empty page on his laptop screen as he says it and knows he's lying. He hasn't been able to write for almost four weeks now._

_The cry comes out easily as Brooke leans against the couch. "I need help, please..." Her voice is small and full of sadness and fear._

_Lucas immediately jumps up and an onslaught of images run through his head. What if she fell? What if she's bleeding? What if someone attacked her? What if it was a car accident? His heart sinks, "What's wrong?" Just like that, he's across the room. He slips into a pair of shoes and grabs his car keys, already out the door with the phone against his ear._

_"She's coming, Luke." Brooke cries as she rubs her belly, trying to get the feeling to lighten a little. "It's too early. She's not due for another month." The end of her sentence is cut short as she lets out another cry from the contraction. When it rolls over her, she lowers herself to her knees and then rolls so she's pressed against the couch. "Julian's not answering. I called him but--"_

_"Don't worry about him, Brooke. I just need you to breathe. I'm on my way over. I'm going to call the hospital and tell them we're coming, okay? I'll be right there." He waits until he hears her agree then hangs up. As he makes the drive over, he calls the hospital. He has to get to her. He has to help her._

* * * *

Brooke rolls over in bed.

She hasn't been able to sleep. She is never able to fall asleep after she gets into a big fight with Julian. Laying there for a few minutes, she stares out the window at the skyline over Tree Hill. This place has always been home to her, but she wonders if things would be better if she had gone with Julian to Los Angeles.

He'd made it clear in the beginning that he still cherished his job. She had naively assumed they would stay as close as they had been but over time, things change. She had to grow up. She had a little girl to put ahead of herself. Tree Hill is home for Grace, too. It could be home for Julian, if he'd just stay.

Sounds coming out of the kitchen make her jump. She isn't used to Julian being home so at first, she thinks Grace has gotten into something. She wraps her robe around her body, cinching it at the waist as she wanders down the hall.

"Gracie? What did mommy say about playing in the kitchen without her?" Brooke rounds the corner and sees Julian, standing in front of the counter as he serves up a plate of pancakes. "Oh. I thought--"

"You were wrong," he says simply as he grabs the syrup and brings it over to Grace. She makes a face as he drizzles some all over her pancake. She looks at her mother and then looks down, not about to say anything.

But Brooke will. "Julian, about the syrup..."

"I think I know how to pour syrup, Brooke. I know I'm not as perfect as you are but I can handle this." It's easy to snap. Probably too easy. He turns to look at her and holds out the bottle. "Did you want to pour it? Do it the right way, maybe?"

Her hands go to her hips and she hisses, "She doesn't like syrup." She walks past him and gets another dish. She plates another pancake and puts it on the counter. "She likes butter." The words are said under her breath. After lathering it up, she puts the plate in front of her daughter who almost guiltily starts eating it.

Julian just looks away for a second before knocking the first plate into the sink. "Well that's just great, isn't it?"

The plate cracks as it hits the bottom of the porcelain sink. Brooke doesn't even think as she hisses, "What is your _problem_?"

"My problem is you hanging out with _him_ all the time. I bet he knows she likes butter on her pancakes. And you know why I don't know? Because you wouldn't come with me so I could see her. It's like you're trying to keep me away from her!"

"What!?"

He continues, "Just like you tried to keep me from taking her to Disneyland for her birthday."

As Brooke opens her mouth, she hears a little whimper and turns her head to the side. She feels Julian still bearing down on her but the look on her daughter's face breaks her heart. How had she been stupid enough to argue in front of her? She walks around the counter, the fight all but left behind. "Gracie, baby, why don't you take your breakfast into your bedroom and I'll be in in a little bit, okay?"

The little girl just nods and then with her mother's help, hops down from the chair. She takes the plate and timidly wanders back into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Brooke watches her and just feels like such an idiot. She remembers her parents fighting in front of her and how it made her feel. She can't believe she just did the same thing to her own daughter. She hears Julian walk towards her and can feel him about to say something so she turns and holds up her hand to stop him. "I don't want to fight, Julian. I wasn't trying to keep you from taking her to Disneyland. I was trying to stop you from promising to take her and then not showing up. I don't want her to spend her life waiting for you to make good on your promises."

His face turns up, "I don't break promises to her."

"Maybe you don't mean to, but you're always postponing them. She's been waiting for that trip to Disneyland for so long..."

"It's not even her birthday yet!" He snaps in his defense.

Brooke shakes her head, "You promised her a year and a half ago."

He can only stand there as he watches Brooke shake her head and walk away. How could so much time have passed?

* * * *

_How much time has passed? Where is Lucas? What if something happens to him and he can't make it? What if he's hurt? So many things flow through Brooke's head as she leans back against the couch with her eyes closed. Her legs stretch out in front of her as her hands rub along her stomach. The phone still hasn't rung. She has a feeling Julian isn't coming._

_She leans forward as the throbbing pain grows in intensity. She groans and sweat beads form along her hairline. What if she can't do this? It hurt so much already. There isn't a single position that doesn't hurt her back. All of this happened so quickly. Isn't it supposed to take long the first time? She swears she heard that it can take hours. This came on so fast._

_There's a knock at the door that makes her jump but she still can't move. "Luke!" she calls out._

_He stands outside the door, fumbling with his keys, trying to find the one that belongs to this house. "I'm coming, Brooke. I'm coming," He calls out over and over until he finds the key and bursts through the doorway. He looks around but doesn't see her at first. "Brooke!" He calls out._

_She throws one hand in the air, "Over here."_

_As he rushes to her side, she looks up at him. "I can't move." She cries, "I tried. And they're coming so fast. Lucas..." She shakes her head but her eyes are wide and full of worry._

_He reaches up to wipe away the tears on her cheeks and then cups the side of her face so her eyes meet his. "I'm here now, Brooke. Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to carry you to the car and we'll get you to the hospital, okay?"_

_He waits for her to nod and then hooks one arm under her knees, the other at her back. "Ready?" He asks. Once he's sure she is, he lifts her off the ground. He feels her arms wrap around his neck and hold on as he carries her outside to the car, still whispering, promising her that she'll be okay._

* * * *

Brooke's voice comes out as a whisper as she stands outside of Grace's closed bedroom door. Her palm presses against the name that is written in the center of a yellow star, like on an actress's dressing room. "Gracie..." But there's no sound.

She lets out a sigh. "Baby, mommy is so sorry. She and daddy shouldn't have argued in front of you." She runs her knuckles against the door and knocks, "Honey, open up." But still, there's nothing. She feels horrible and just wants to make it up to her little girl.

"We were angry with each other and I know that's not an excuse, but I promise you it won't happen again sweetheart."

In the nest of silence, Brooke lowers her head. Julian had walked out 'for a walk' not too long ago, and she could have really used him to assure their daughter who had looked so upset when they were fighting. "You know," She keeps her voice soft. "When I was your age, I used to see my mom and dad fighting a lot, too. They always yelled in front of me like I wasn't even there. I hated them for it, for a really long time. And it's not fair that you had to see that. I promise you won't have to see it again."

Still nothing. "Honey, say something." But it remains quiet. So Brooke reaches down and takes a hold of the doorknob. "Grace?" She pushes the door open and looks in. On the bed is the plate she'd been sent to her room with, the pancake still on top of it, untouched aside from that first bite. Brooke's heart sinks as her eyes focus on the curtains blowing in the breeze from the open window.

She's gone.  


* * *

  
**Again, I hope you enjoyed. Please continue with the kind reviews. They really keep me going. Happy Holidays everyone! **Rosie**


	7. Defying Gravity

**AN:** It has been quite a while since I've updated this and for that, I'm sorry. It started with the holidays getting in the way and then a general malaise pretty much took over. However, I do have to thank Mark for making this new Monday night episode as crap-tastic as possible. I think my anger at what he's doing to Brooke really jump started my need to show him that it doesn't really take much to bring this show back out of the gutter. Hell, I've read tons of fan fiction that could do just that, and we're just lowly fanfic writers. All I'm saying is everyone has their price, and I think if he wanted to, he could bring back CMM. And even if he couldn't, do you HAVE to keep throwing back to Brucas? I mean really, Julian waiting at the airport after Brooke gets home and he's waiting for someone else instead of her? Season 2 anyone? It was just Karen back then, instead of Alex. Oh whatever. That's my rant. And if I take my anger with the show out on Julian, well.. then so be it.

Considering how slow I was at getting this updated, I should have another update in the next week. For now, and as always, I would like to thank Corey for being such an inspiration to me. She really kicked my butt into writing fanfiction, and I'm glad she did. I'm having so much fun with this story. While I KNOW what the ending will be, I have no idea how long it will take to get there. I'm having too much fun imagining Brooke and Lucas back together lol. I'd also like to thank my best friend Maranda for always reading objectively. She hates it but I don't even spoil her because I just want to see how she responds to it. She's a really good sport for putting up with it so.. now I hope I get a super good review from her *hint, hint* lol. JK, I always get great reviews from her.

Oh! and last, I want to thank Angie. Mostly because I love her vids (Check out her Destiny Doesn't Lie series, it's seriously fantastic) and I always watch them when I need a Brucas fix. It totally feels like I'm watching the extention of the show on it, and it's fabulous. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for reading my story!

As always, I hope you guys enjoy. I was on a huge "Wicked" kick when I started this and had called it "Defying Gravity."

* * *

**Defying Gravity**

_"Come on, Brooke. Stick with me." Lucas begs as he drives through the small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, to the closest hospital. It's only a fifteen minute drive but right now, it feels like it lasts forever. Beside him, in the passenger seat, was a beautiful brunette with her hands on her stomach as she puffed out short breaths. _

_"I am." She hisses with her head back against the headrest. "I'm trying. I'm breathing. Are we there?"_

_"Almost," He says as he reaches over to put his hand on top of hers. She turns hers over and slips her fingers into the spaces between his. She tries to remind herself not to squeeze his hand off but finds it exceedingly difficult to think between contractions. _

_She can't help the admission as it seethes through her pants, "I don't think I can do this, Luke. I'm scared, I'm so scared.. I don't.. I can't.."_

_He drives through a red light as he looks over at her, "Don't you dare say that, Brooke. You're the strongest person I've ever met. I know you can do this. Just think about that baby. She's counting on you. You can do it. I believe in you."_

_"But Luke.." She sniffles as they finally pull up at the hospital's emergency room entrance. _

_He puts the car in park and shakes his head, "No. No buts, Brooke. Don't you remember what I said about you? You're brave, you can do this. I love you and I'll be with you every step of the way." It slips out so easily that Lucas doesn't even realize that he's said it. Instead he hops out of the car and runs into the E.R's sliding doors. _

_Just seconds later, three people in uniform come running out with a wheelchair. Brooke's door is opened and she's helped out, into the chair. Her head turns and she reaches her hand out, "Lucas.."_

_He takes it the second it's outreached. "I'm here, Brooke." And he was. He wouldn't go anywhere.  
_

* * * *

Lucas wakes up that afternoon to the sound of his cell phone ringing beside his bed. With his eyes closed, he takes ahold of the phone and sends the call to voicemail. He'd gotten up at seven that morning to take Penny over to Haley and Nathan's. It was supposed to be all the kids, until Julian came home and that meant Grace wouldn't be there. Lucas was going to spend time there but instead he came home and got some sleep.

He spends most of his nights tossing and turning, so the sleep is more than needed. Ever since he'd spoken to Haley the day before, he couldn't get the thought out of his head that he wasn't happy with Julian because he wasn't the one for Brooke. Of all the things Lucas claimed Brooke deserved, he remembered being that for her at one point--before he ruined all of it.

_It's almost eight o'clock. _

_His flight takes off in just another hour. His fingers hover over his cell phone. He's thinking of what the old man had said. A queen of hearts playing card was turned over and he knew who he wanted to call. _

_He looks down at his phone and scrolls through the directory to the letter P. He hesitates on Peyton's name. The name below it says 'Pretty Girl.' He thinks of the card again as his brain flashes images of Brooke Davis. The one that stands out finds him outside of his house. He touches the side of her face. I love you too, pretty girl. _

_He takes a breath and slowly exhales. No. He can't call her. Brooke Davis deserves better than an impromptu elopement in Las Vegas. She's better than that._

With a sigh, Lucas gives up on sleep and rolls out of bed.

At this point, he usually goes to the kitchen to cook up some breakfast, but with Penny gone, he decides on just a tall cup of black coffee. He runs his hand along the top of his head as he heats the water. Then he adds two sugars and a splash of milk before heading into the bedroom again.

He doesn't change out of his pajama's yet, mostly because he finds himself drawn to his laptop. His fingers click away at the keys as if they're guided by a larger force. The words come easily as he writes. It's almost as if he hasn't been in a writing rut. He doesn't even have to think.

He ignores the ringing of his cell phone the first time, and the second, but the third has him looking at the caller I.D. He reads Brooke's name and considers whether he should answer it or not. Surely Julian hasn't left yet, so he doesn't want to get into a confrontation about the kiss in front of the car, but there's something that pulls at him. So he presses the talk button and holds the phone to his ear. "Hey, Brooke I'm.."

He's cut off almost instantly.

"She's gone!" The frantic voice claims from the other end of the line.

Lucas sits up, eyes wide. "Who?"

Brooke paces the little girl's empty room, holding a purple monkey against her chest. "Grace. She's gone. I don't know where she is."

"Okay, Brooke, calm down. What happened?" His mind goes into a million different places. Where would Grace be? How could she be gone?

Her voice is high pitched. "Julian and I got into a fight and I told her to go to her room, and now she's gone. The window's open and she's gone, Luke. I don't know where my baby is."

She doesn't have to say anything else. He's already on his feet. "I'll be right there."

He leaves the laptop open as he runs through the house. The lines on the screen read: Like a flickering candle set in the window to guide lost souls back to their homes, the boy was now realizing that the small light was stronger then the a whole astral body; which, beautiful as it may be, burned brightly and for only a short time. The boy was now a man.

* * * *

_"I'll be right here.." He promises as he rushes alongside the medical team that lead Brooke's wheelchair down the hallway. He clasps her hand and looks at her. This time he doesn't see fear though. He sees excitement. He sees anxiety, of course, but he also sees this light. She's ready for this. She's ready to be a mother, and she's worked hard to get there. _

_Two people rush between them and it makes him lose the hold he had on her hand. People gather around Brooke as they move her into one of the rooms. Lucas tries to rush in but he's stopped by a large, older nurse. Her hand presses against his chest. "Only family." She hisses, about to turn to walk in. _

_Lucas doesn't even think as he steps forward again and spills, "I'm the father!" Julian wasn't here and even if he was, Lucas wants to be in there. He wants to see Brooke's eyes light up the first time she hears her daughter cry. He wants to sit beside her as she holds her baby for the first time. Maybe it's selfish, but Julian doesn't deserve to be there._

_The nurse stares at him for a minute and then steps back to let Lucas through. When he walks in, Brooke's already been lifted onto the bed. Everything was so crazy around her that she can barely think. She just feels the contractions as they hit her like how the waves of the ocean_ _crash relentlessly on the shore. _

_She looks through the crowd and watches Lucas make it to her side. He grasps her hand and she manages a smile, as she tightens her hold. "You're still here."_

_Lucas brushes his hand along the top of her sweaty brow and hooks her hair behind her ear. "I'm not leaving you, Brooke." He leans in and kisses her forehead, then lowers to look into her eyes. "You're going to do this, and I'm going to be here the whole time. I promise you, Brooke. I'm not leaving you." _

_Her lips turn up as she lets her head tilt to the side. She feels sweaty and disgusting but when he kisses her forehead, all of that disappears. Even if only for a minute. Her heart races and his arm wraps around her shoulders. "I'm scared Luke," she whispers. _

_"I'm right here."_

* * * *

"Thank you," She says to the police officer who turns and heads back to his car. As he gets in and starts to drive back to the station, she sees a mustang pull up and her heart hitches. She wipes her face and watches Lucas jump out of the driver's side and rush up the walkway. "Brooke--"

"She's gone, Luke. I don't know where she is. She's just gone. She could be hurt." Brooke throws herself into his arms and holds on, as she tries not to fall to pieces right there on the front step. "I was so stupid. We fought, and we yelled. She must have been so scared. I went to apologize and she wasn't there. The window was open, Oh God, what if someone took her?"

Her mind breaks into a million different pieces. She can barely think. All she can see are horrible images of cars with reckless drivers, or predators that find a young girl walking down the street alone. She's shaking in his arms.

Lucas rubs his hand up and down her back. "Shh, Brooke, It'll be okay. We'll find her. She'll be okay." He wants to promise it and while he feels like he can, he can't. His mind is going wild with those thoughts as well. What if something happened to his little miss Gracie? What if she didn't run away? What if she was abducted?

He feels sick to his stomach.

Only moreso when he hears a thick voice coming closer. "What the hell are you doing with your hands around my girlfriend?"

Brooke pushes back and looks over at Julian with puffy eyes. "Will you _knock it off_?" She sniffles, "Grace is gone. Her window was open and she's gone."

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Julian hisses as his stomach tightens. He hasn't been on his walk that long. He checks his watch. It's only been an hour. "How the hell do you lose a four year old?"

The brunette shakes as she covers her face with her palms. The guilt has already taken over her so it doesn't take much to make her shatter like glass. She can't even manage any words as she turns and runs into the house. The second she steps through the doorway, her arms wind over her stomach, and she lets herself sob.

Lucas reacts when he sees Julian move towards the door. His hands curl into Julian's shirt and he pushes him back into the side of the house with all the pent up anger he has coursing through his veins. "You are _not_ going to go in there and make this worse for her."

"She lost our daughter!" Julian growls as he defensively puts his hands up to push Lucas off of him. But he barely budges.

"And where the hell were you?" He's had just about enough of Julian Baker making Brooke cry. And now, especially now, wasn't the time to pick a fight just because he could. He doesn't let Julian say anything. "Why don't you knock off your bullshit and help find Grace?" God, how he wishes he could just punch him in the nose. His fingers itch with the desire, but he pulls back. Now isn't the time. He needs to find his beautiful little Grace.

Lucas walks inside and finds Brooke on the couch. He sinks down next to her and she leans against his chest. She squeezes him as she hides her face in his shirt. Her little girl was out there, lost and alone. Julian was right. She feels this is her fault. She shouldn't have yelled back at Julian with Grace right in front of them. She should have been smarter, and now she's gone.

Julian stands at the door but feels like he isn't even there. He sees how easily Brooke falls into Lucas's arms and he wants to be angry. He wants to, but this time he holds himself back. It takes a lot to swallow his pride but he manages to. "I think we should all go looking for her. She can't have gotten far."

While Luke knows she will object, he lets out a breath. "I think Brooke should stay here."

She jumps up, "What? No way." She shakes her head, indignance in her eyes. "That's my baby. I'm not just going to sit here while she's out there."

"Brooke." Lucas puts his hands gingerly against her arms. "You have to be here if she comes back."

As much as she wants to, she doesn't argue. "You're right." She takes a steadying breath. "You're right. I'll stay here." She decides to call Nathan and Haley, and let them know in case they see Grace. She feels more weak and undone than she's ever felt in her life. She wants to hold herself together and be strong for her baby girl, but how can she when the whole world seems to have stopped spinning? She's disoriented and a large part of her just wants to curl into a ball and cry. But she doesn't. Grace needs her.

Lucas squeezes her arms a little and offers a reassuring smile before he walks around her. Julian just stares at him as he pushes off the wall, ready to head out. He wants to find his daughter as well. He isn't a complete jerk. He rakes his hands through his hair as he starts down the street, calling out Grace's name.

Brooke watches as Lucas goes to the door and turns, "Lucas.."

He doesn't need her to say anything. He already knows what she is saying in her voice. He can see the plea in her glassy, hazel eyes. Lucas walks back into the house and cups her face so he can look in her eyes. He wants her to believe him when he says this. "We'll find her, Brooke. We will. I'll bring her back to you." He has never believed anything in his life as much as he believes this.

* * *

_"You're doing great, Brooke. Just one more big one." Lucas stands at the side of her hospital bed. For awhile he had been in charge of drying off her forehead but had given up on that ever since the doctor said it would only be a few more pushes. _

_As she squeezes his hand, Brooke shakes her head. Her hair is wild and sticks to the side of her face, beads of sweat roll along her skin. She's never felt so undone in her life. "I can't," she says finally, puffing out the words with defeat. _

_"You can't give up."_

_"I'm not giving up." Brooke cries and, trying to justify it, continues. "It's not giving up if you just can't do it."_

_The doctor looks up, "I'm going to need you to push, Miss Davis."_

_"I can't do it. I can't do it," she pants. With tears in her eyes, Brooke looks up at Lucas who is still at her side. "Please, Luke. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry, I just can't." She's so tired and she's in so much pain. All she wants to do is stop. She wants to close her eyes and be back in her comfortable one thousand thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. She lays her head back on the pillow and shakes it back and forth, repeating 'I can't.' _

_Lucas looks at the middle aged doctor as she shouts something at her nurses. While he has no idea what she just said, he has an idea they were about to do something that he knew Brooke would regret. "Wait," he calls to the doctor. "Wait, please. She can do this." He turns back to Brooke and cups her face. As his palms close on her cheeks, he watches her eyes open. "Did you hear that, Brooke? You can do it. You can do this. Your daughter needs you."_

_It would be so easy to just stop, but she can't. She stares into those deep blue eyes and finds comfort, and strength. Tears build up in her eyes as she nods and then looks back at the woman sitting at the end of her bed. The staff of nurses look surprised but they stop what they had been doing. _

_The doctor instructs Brooke to take a deep breath, lower her chin to her chest and push. As much as she doesn't want to, she does exactly what she's told. She pushes and tries to think of the little pink baby book she had at home just waiting for the first picture, and for a baby foot print. She hears Lucas encouraging her and thinks of the crib in the baby's room. She thinks about holding her beautiful baby. _

_At the count of ten, she takes two quick pants and then goes right back into the push without having been told. _

_Lucas watches her and counts along with the nurse. He then looks at the doctor and with an almost collective sigh of relief in the room. The doctor announces what they already know. "It's a girl." But hearing the words now were different. He turns to Brooke and runs his hand along her hair, tucking it away from her face. "She's here, Brooke. You did it."_

_She looks exhausted, sweaty and is panting to catch her breath, but he's never seen her so beautiful before. "You did it." He repeats as he leans in and kisses her forehead. _

_Her face lighten and she smiles as she wraps one arm around him. It's an awkward position but she feels safe. She's always felt safe here. "We did it." She whispers._

* * *

_  
**Like I said, I'll update soon. Promise. I owe it to you guys. Please review and be honest, just not cruel. **Rosie**_


	8. Come and Save Me

**A/N:** First, this chapter is significantly longer than my other chapters so far. I had a lot more to say in this chapter, and I also wanted to give a little present for everyone really hanging in with me lately. I know I promised this a lot sooner so, at least there's extra in this one.

I also want to say that I'm taking some suggestions from people who have PMd me. There are some things they ask to see that I want to satisfy, so I hope I'm able to do that well. As far as this chapter goes, it's named after a Gloriana song, but I mostly listened to "You're Gonna Be" by Reba, and "Belief" by Gavin DeGraw--which is pretty much my Brucas go-to song. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and make sure to review. Also, if there's something you want to see, feel free to PM me and I'll take it into consideration.

Thank you for all your support and please enjoy. I will try to get another update in before the 17th (which is when my best friend is coming to visit). If the update isn't done by then, it will be done after the 21st. Take care everyone!

* * *

Chapter Seven

Come and Save Me

The hours til sunset pass with excruciating pain.

Brooke Davis sits in her daughter's bedroom, her arms curl around the little girl's pillow. She should be at home, Brooke thinks as she notices the time. Right about now, she would be crawling into Grace's bed, with a book, to read her a bedtime story.

Last night's story had been Sleeping Beauty. Tonight was supposed to be Beauty and the Beast. It's Grace's favorite story. The little girl would cuddle up against her mother's chest, one ear listening to the soft beat of mom's heart, the other paying attention to the story, and slowly she would lull to sleep.

Brooke wipes her hand over her cheek and takes a deep breath. It's impossible to sit still like this when so much time was passing and her daughter still isn't home. She puts the pillow down and rises from the bed. She grabs her cell phone from the table and checks it's call log for the hundredth time. She knows it didn't ring, but just in case she'd been struck with momentary deafness, she wanted to make sure.

Nothing.

As the sigh escapes her lips, she hears the sound of a door opening. For a moment, her heart jumps through her chest and she runs out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room. Her eyes immediately search for her little girl but they instead fall on the figure of a tall, dark haired man who Grace affectionately calls 'famous uncle Nate.'

Brooke sighs, her hopes falling. "I thought you were.." She turns and walks towards the couch, then sits and puts her palms against her face, rubbing her eyes slowly.

After he shuts the door, Nathan watches her for a second. He remembers what he felt like when Jamie had been kidnapped. His heart ached for her. As he walks over to the couch to sit beside her, he puts his hand on her shoulder. "We're going to find her, Brooke."

While Brooke wants to believe the best, she can't fight that huge knot of worry and fear that's attached itself to her stomach. All she can think about are the moments that lead to her daughter's disappearance. She does't deserve his comfort. "It's my fault." She says as she stands up from the couch. Her arms cross over her chest as she walks across the living room, and stands in front of the front window. How she wishes she could just see her baby girl walking up to the house right now.

Perking an eyebrow, Nathan follows her. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes close as she shakes her head. Then she decides to change the subject, "Where's Haley?"

Nathan slips his hands into his jeans pockets, "She's back at the house with the kids. She wanted me to check on you. Now what did you mean it was your fault? It's not your fault she ranaway." He knew what it felt like to have his child taken, sure, but he also knew that sinking feeling of fear when you go to your child's room and they're not there. Jamie had runaway before, and it was a fear that only a parent would understand. When she didn't say anything, Nathan urged, "Brooke.."

"We fought." Brooke spat as she turned. She couldn't even look up at her friend. She felt too embarassed to see him right now.

"You and Grace?"

She shook her head, "No. Me and Julian. We fought in front of her. God, how could I be so stupid? She must have been so scared. I scared my daughter, Nate. My parents fought all the time when I was little. I would sit against my door in my bedroom and put my hands over my ears so I didn't have to hear them, but I always did. I told myself that I would never do that to my own children." Her fingers were shaking with that, and she curled them around the fabric of her shirt to keep them steady.

"You're a mom, Brooke. That doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Haley and I slip sometimes and fight in front of the kids. We try not to but sometimes it just happens. That doesn't mean it's your fault that she left.." He told Brooke once a long time ago that she could always talk to him. Having come from similar backgrounds, he didn't think anyone else would understand her as well as he could. And through the years, they've become really close friends. He hated seeing her like this.

"No, it means that she didn't feel safe enough staying home and had to leave to get away from the fighting." Her head fills with images of Grace in her room, listening to the yelling down the hall. It broke her heart. "I promised her that I would love her, and protect her, keep her safe.. and now she's out there, God knows where, and it's all my fault."

* * *

_Six pounds and nine ounces of beautiful baby focus blue eyes up at the tired brunette. Brooke Davis still hears her daughter's first cry replaying in her head as she smiles down at the now quiet baby. She's floored by the feeling that came over her the first moment she held her little girl. Now, after feeding her for the first time, she sits in the silence of the room and can't seem to take her eyes off of her little miracle. _

_She runs her fingertip along the apple of her daughter's cheek. The motion brings a wide, toothless smile across her little face and it makes Brooke giggle. It was love, unlike any other love she had ever experienced. She's so infatuated that she doesn't even hear the knock at the door, or the sound of it opening slowly until Lucas's voice whispers a soft 'hey.'_

_Brooke looks up, the smile on her face. "Hey Lucas, come here. Before she falls asleep." _

_He steps into the room, shutting the door behind himself, and walks slowly around the bed. He leans over a little and for the first time, his eyes really focus on the angel in Brooke's arms. "She's.." He feels overwhelmed. Her little eyelids grow heavy and he watches her long lashes switch between closing and blinking open. _

_"..beautiful." Brooke finishes for him. She's too taken not to. She watches as her baby girl finally succumbs to sleep. _

_Lucas smiles and slowly lowers himself to sit on the bed beside her. He lets one arm slide around her shoulders. It wasn't a calculated move, it just came naturally. "She looks like you." He whispers as he nods at her comment. "You did great, Brooke. I'm proud of you."_

_She's unable to look away from her baby. "I couldn't have done it without you, Luke."_

_"That's not true." He says as he leans forward and brushes the back of his index finger along the tiny hand. His smile widens as he watches her fingers open and close when he touches them. Lucas remembers how every single moment he had with his own daughter felt magical, and he knew Brooke was feeling that now as well. "What are you going to name her?" He asks. It wasn't fair but he hadn't spent a lot of time with Brooke lately, so he was sad to say he didn't know if she had even picked a name yet. _

_She smirks, leaning back against the pillow and Lucas's arm. "I don't know. I had this list. Haley and I have been looking through these name books, but.." she starts as she watches the little faces her baby makes. "I can't remember a single one of them now." _

_"Well, it'll come to you." He says, his thumb rubbing soft circles against her shoulder, without even realizing he was doing it. _

_Brooke mouths the word yeah, knowing that she'd find the right name for her baby. In that moment, she realizes that while Julian wasn't here, she didn't feel like she missed anything. Her heart should be breaking to know that the father of her daughter, a child she just gave birth to, wasn't there. It just wasn't. _

_She turns her head to the side and hesitates for a moment when she sees how intently Lucas is looking at her baby. His eyes are wide and caring, full of emotion. She remembers then that he hadn't gotten the chance to be there when Penny was born. Peyton had been rushed to the emergency room and he had to look on from afar, not even able to hold his daughter for a little while after the birth. _

_This was an important moment for him as well. "Do you want to hold her?"_

_He looks up then, surprise written all over his face. "Wh--are you sure? What about Julian?"_

_"Julian's not here," she says softly, so as not to wake the baby. "But you are. And you were when I needed you." While she's spent time with both Jamie and Penny, she was still a little nervous with her baby. It was a little awkward as she learned how to gently and safely hand off her daughter. She looked even smaller in Lucas's big embrace, if that was even possible. Brooke puts her hand on his arm and then leans her chin against his shoulder. "Besides, it was only through the grace of God that I didn't have to do that alone."_

_Lucas pretty much holds his breath as he takes the baby into his arms. She doesn't wake, which he almost wished she had. His body remembers the feel of an infant, so he holds her, softly rocking her. As he listens to Brooke's voice, he smiles. "Grace.." Then he turns back to look at her. She wasn't his daughter to name. _

_As he says it, it feels like the puzzle pieces came together on their own. "Grace," she repeats to herself, and the smile grows. "Grace. I like that." Part of her tells her that she should wait for Julian, but she wasn't sure how long that would be, and her daughter deserved a name. "I think it's perfect."_

_He agrees, and adds, "It's perfect for __your__ daughter, Brooke Davis." She had grown from a wild girl with too much money and too little supervision into a strong, beautiful and independant woman. She knew how to handle herself with poise, and grace, like a real lady. And so would her daughter. _

_Brooke smiles at Lucas and then cuddles her cheek against his shoulder as she turns back to her baby, her little Grace. And in that moment, she promises to love that baby, to keep her safe from anything that could hurt her, and to always be there for her. "Thank you," she whispers to Lucas as she closes her eyes. _

_Grace Elizabeth._

* * *

There's no way that Lucas was going to go back to the house until he found Grace. She was so young, and the images that filled his head refused to let him stop looking. He circled around town for the fifth time, stopping people that he knew on the streets and asking them, but no one had seen Gracie. His stomach tightened as he called her name and ran down the street again. He sighed at a street corner and put his hands on his hips. Where could she be?

He pulled out his cell phone and checked to make sure he hadn't missed any calls. He hadn't. Once the light turned green, he checked both ways and then hurried across the street. While he'd gone through the Rivercourt more times then he could count, it was the only place he would have gone when he was younger. So he went down the road and stopped at the top of the hill. He scanned the courtyard but no one was there.

It was empty.

Lucas sighed and tried to go over everything once again. There was no way that he was going to go back without Grace. He had promised Brooke and hell, even if he hadn't, he wouldn't just leave her out here.

It was dark out now. The streetlights were his only companion, which made this a lot more difficult. He stopped, for just a moment, and went through the list of places he's been. When he was young and he wanted to get away from his mom, he used to go to the cafe. But Lucas had already checked Brooke's store.

Then, as another memory came back to him, he felt like he'd just been hit in the face. How could he had forgotten? He took off down the street without another thought.

* * *

Haley James Scott sat on her husband's recliner, even though she'd rather be out of the house, helping look for Grace. But she was put in charge of taking care of the kids, and that included keeping them from being afraid. She had sat both Jamie and Penny down and told them what was going on. They were both too smart and would have figured out something was wrong anyway.

Now she was sitting with Brian, rubbing his back, as he slept against her chest. Jamie had fallen asleep as well, curled up on the couch. It was getting late and they still hadn't gotten word about Grace. Haley was really starting to worry but she didn't want the kids to know.

When she heard a noise from the kitchen, she got up from the chair. After putting Brian down in his playpen, she head towards the kitchen. The light from the refridgerator was casting shadows on most of the room but in the midst of it she smiled at the blonde girl who looked to be making a sandwhich. Haley smirked as she flicked the kitchen light on. "Excuse me."

Penny looked up like she'd just been caught committing a crime. The deer in headlights look faded only a little when she saw it was her aunt Haley.

With arms crossed, Haley asked, "What are you doing, little missy? Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late."

She nodded and then looked down at the sandwhich she was in the middle of putting together and then back up at Haley. "I was just making a sammitch." She said.

Her curls bounced around her face and Haley couldn't help but smile. She walked over to the little girl and knelt beside her, starting to pick up the bottles of condiments, and bag of sliced cheese that Penny had pulled out. "Are you hungry?"

Penny shook her head no at first, and then stopped and nodded.

Grinning, Haley picked everything up and put it on the counter. "Alright, well next time, you should ask me or uncle Nathan, or Jamie. We'll help you put it together, okay?" She watched Penny nod as she started to fix the sandwhich herself. Haley noticed that Penny was being particularly quiet, so she asked curiously, "Are you worried about Grace?" She spread the mustard evenly along the bread with a butter knife.

"No," Penny said simply. Then she jumped a little and nodded, "I mean, yes."

Haley perked a brow at Penny's reaction as she put some cheese in the sandwhich and then cut it diagonally. She was probably just tired, Haley figured. She cut the crusts off next and put the sandwhich on a small plate. "Well just know that she's going to be back before you know it. How about I come sit with you for a little while, hmm?"

Penny looked up as she took the plate. "No, don't."

Her little voice seemed so..

Haley looked up, sidetracked from her thought as she heard the knock at the door. So she just let it go, "Alright. Go on to bed. Your daddy will be back soon." There wasn't even any pause as Penny turned and hurried up the stairs with her sandwhich. Haley watched her until she heard the knock at her front door again.

She shut the refridgerator door, then walked through the living room to the front door. Lucas was walking in before she even had it all the way open. "Luke.." She turned and closed the door behind him. "What's up? Did you find her?"

Lucas had a one track mind right now. He only wondered why he hadn't thought of this sooner. "January eighteenth. We were nine years old, you remember?"

Surprised, Haley's eyes widened slightly. "I know I have a good memory, Luke, but that's a little specific, don't you th--"

He was already talking before she even got to finish her sentance. "Dan came by the house earlier that day, and Keith let him in. My mom got home not long after that and kicked him out. Then she got in a big fight with Keith, probably the most yelling I've ever heard between the two of them."

What was he trying to get at? Haley wondered. "Okay, and what does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

Lucas just smirked and started to walk up the stairs towards the bedroom that was used just for Penny or Grace when they spent the night. Haley followed close behind and Lucas continued. "I hated hearing mom and Keith fight so I ran away."

All of it was slowly starting to come back to her. "Yeah, and they found you down at the Rivercourt. I'm still not following you."

He stopped in front of the closed door of the little girl's room. "But I didn't go to the Rivercourt first." He said. When he looked at Haley, he could see the memories coming back to her. "I went to my best friend's house first." As he said it, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He didn't even have to look. He should have picked up on this sooner.

The door opened and sitting there part way in the closet was Grace holding half of the sandwhich. Sitting beside her was Penny, with the other half. They both looked up with wide eyes. Haley gasped and put her hands on her hips.

Lucas just turned to look at them. Grace started to sink back into the closet, and he just shook his head. "Go call Brooke. I need to have a word with my daughter." He crossed his arms over his chest as Haley left, and Penny sunk down a little.

She tried to smile and said a small, "Hi daddy."

* * *

"Brooke, you're a great mother. Somehow our parents didn't screw us up so much that we couldn't do that. It's okay to make a mistake, you're still human. You can't be so hard on yourself." Nathan leaned forward in the chair he'd taken up and looked over at her. "I know you're upset, and it's normal to blame yourself, but you have to start giving yourself some credit. You pretty much raise that little girl by yourself, and I know that can't be easy."

She shook her head and looked down at her hands clenched together, "I hardly do that by myself. I always have someone around. I have Lucas, and you and Haley."

"Listen, I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind right now but once Grace is home and you have time to get your head on straight, just think about what I said okay? This isn't your fault, and you are a good mom."

Brooke finally looked up with the best half-smile she could muster. Nathan was good to her, they all were, maybe more than they needed to be, but she was thankful for them. She was about to tell him just that when her phone rang. Jumping up, she snatched her cell off the table, flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

Her heart jumped in her throat.

"I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, "It's Haley. Grace is at your house. I have to go."

Nathan jumped up, "I'll drive you."

"Thank you." They both ran for the door. It only took a few minutes to get there, but they passed by so slowly. She felt like she was stuck in glue as she tried to run. She needed to see Grace to know that she was okay, so she tried to distract herself. She dialed Julian's number but it went straight to voicemail.

"Julian, it's Brooke. Grace is at Haley's. I'm going there now. Call me." Then she hung up and anxiously flipped her phone open and closed until Nathan pulled the car up at his house. Brooke jumped out before it was even fully stopped and hurried inside. "Haley," She called out as she stepped into the house.

Obviously jarred, Haley looked up. "Upstairs. Guest room."

Brooke took off. She ran up the stairs. The door was open so she rushed in. Lucas was sitting on the bed, Penny sitting at the edge and Grace between the two. Brooke felt the tears spring into her eyes the second she saw her daughter. "Oh, thank God."

"Mommy!" The second Grace threw her hands in the air, Brooke was scooping her up off the bed. She squeezed her close, afraid to ever let her go. "I'm sorry, mommy." Grace cried over Brooke's shoulder as she clung to her mom.

"Don't you ever run away like that again," Brooke said through the tears of relief on her face. "You scared me so much. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." She sniffled as she looked over at Lucas. She wanted to thank him for finding her but she couldn't manage any other words. She broke the stare and turned in to her daughter, covering her face with kisses. "I love you so much, baby."

Grace's blue eyes were filled with tears too. She hadn't realized how upset she had been until she was back in her mother's arms. "I love you too, mommy."

* * *

"You didn't have to walk us home," Brooke says as she fishes into her jeans pocket and pulls out the house key. After they had both calmed down, she and Grace had a talk that would be continued in the morning. It was late so she wanted to take her baby girl home. Penny had fallen asleep at Haley's so Lucas had offered to let her sleep there and walk Brooke and Grace home.

Grace had fallen asleep on Brooke's shoulder as they walked the few blocks over.

Lucas shrugged, "I know, but I don't mind." He said, stepping in to take her place. He unlocked the door for her so she didn't have to struggle between her daughter and the key. Once the door was open, he flicked on the living room lights and stepped back to let her in.

She thanked him as she walked into the house. "Remind me tomorrow to buy some nails and nail her window shut." She was only half kidding. "I'm going to put her down. Get yourself something to drink." Julian still hadn't called, even though Brooke had tried another four times, leaving two more messages, so she didn't know what to do about him. As far as Grace went, it was time for her to sleep.

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief as she finally got her daughter into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. For a minute, she just sat there and stared. She would have been lost if anything had ever happened to her baby Gracie. Brushing her fingers along her daughters darker strands, Brooke then leaned in and kissed Grace's forehead. She whispered, "I love you," against her skin and then finally pulled herself away. She checked to make sure the window was locked and then turned the teddy bear night light on.

As she was shutting the door, the small voice came out quietly. "Love you more." Brooke hesitated in the door and looked at the little girl in bed, her features just barely outlined by the moonlight coming in through the window.

Her heart was full again.

Smiling, Brooke softly shut the door and then went slowly towards the living room. Lucas was standing at the refridgerator, holding a picture in his hand. Brooke walked towards him so she could see which one he was looking at. Her smile grew when she saw herself in the hospital bed the day she gave birth to Grace. If it hadn't been for Lucas sitting beside her with Gracie in his arms, she wouldn't have put it on display. But that picture was from the first day of her daughter's life. Lucas had been there.

Brooke was starting to realize that Lucas had always been there.

She let out a breath as she turned her head up to look at him. "Thank you. For finding her. I don't know what I would have done if--"

"Don't even think about it." He urged. He knew that he would have been broken in pieces if he had ever lost his daughter. While it had been difficult to get over the death of Peyton, he had been able to do it. Losing Penny would be a loss he would never recover from, so he knew how Brooke felt. "You never have to worry about that."

Nodding, Brooke leaned her head on his shoulder. Then she took a step in and rolled slightly so her nose was against his collarbone. Lucas instinctively curled his arms around her, one hand settling on her lower spine, the other on the back of her head.

He closed his eyes as he felt her squeezing onto him. His fingers slid between the strands of her hair, brushing through it slowly. She still felt the same. Her hair was soft, her skin was warm, and he knew that inside, she was feeling less than deserving of all the things she had, especially the little girl in the next room. He wanted her to understand just how much of it she did deserve. She had always been there for her friends, even sacrificing her own wants for someone else's. And in same cases, his own.

He held her a little closer.

It was his heartbeat that she was listening to, strong and steady. So much like him. Despite the problem he had with it, it was still there. Having worried so much about Grace made her think about what she would do if she didn't have Lucas either. What if something horrible had happened to him? What if he never knew how grateful she was for his help? What if she never told him how much he had changed her life? Ever since the moment she laid eyes on him in high school, on the basketball court, she'd known somehow that her life would never be the same.

Lucas Scott had changed it completely, and she couldn't be happier.

She pulled back just a few inches so she could look at him and tell him just that. "Lucas," But she couldn't finish that.

He wasn't exactly sure what had come over him but having the feeling of Brooke Davis in his arms again had triggered that part inside of his soul that he sometimes forgot existed until it overwhelmed him. He had done a good job of keeping it down. At least he thought he had. Instead, it had been coming undone, one inch at a time. And before he had time to realize what was happening, it had consumed him.

Maybe he had been blind before, but right now he saw everything clearly.

When she moved, he looked into those dark eyes and he could see straight into her soul. She wore her heart on her sleeve, whether she meant to or not. He moved his hand from the small of her back to cup the side of her face. Lucas followed the line of her jaw to her lips and pulled her in to meet him. His lips pressed against hers and he felt like his feet weren't even touching the floor anymore.

Nothing else mattered in that moment. Her mind had gone blank. No thoughts were left. Nothing but feelings. And without her brain to get in her way, there was nothing to stop her. Lucas had always been there and despite how deeply she had buried her feelings, they hadn't gone away. His mouth reminded her that she was human, and his taste brought back her heartbeat. She curled her arms around his body and felt her breath catch in her throat as the kiss deepened.

He wanted more of her, and she wanted more of him.

Lucas stepped forward and Brooke stumbled back until she was pressed against the kitchen wall. His hands moved along her body, feeling her, touching her, coming to life with every brush. As they kissed, he moved his hands along her sides, then up the curve of her back. His fingertips found the zipper at the back of her shirt and slowly lowered it. If she told him to stop, he would. But right now, this was all he had wanted for the longest time, longer than he would let himself admit.

Once unzipped, Brooke lowered her arms so that he could strip the shirt from her body. It was dropped to the ground but she hardly cared about it. Stepping away from it, she curled her fingers into his tshirt. When his arms raised over his head, she peeled it away and dropped it beside hers.

Her fingers moved to his chest. His skin was warm and she could feel his pulse starting to race. It matched hers. She moaned against his lips, taken by surprise from all this, but not afraid of it. Not now at least.

Lucas pressed his hips against hers, holding her back against the wall as he felt excitement electrocuting through his veins. He wanted to say more but the words were all but lost in this moment. Instead, he let his hands wander her body freely, almost greedily, but with Brooke, it wasn't just about taking.

He lowered himself then and scooped her up into his arms. He smiled as she squealed and then walked her into her bedroom. He shut the door behind him, using his foot, and then gently laid her on the bed. He pressed soft kisses to her stomach and up to her neck as he lowered on top of her. "If you want me to stop--" He started to whisper against her lips.

Brooke bent one leg at his side, already out of breath. "I don't." She said, looking up at him. She knew that he would stop if she told him, but that was the last thing she wanted. Her fingertips drew slowly along his jawline, and she kissed his lips, before adding, "I want you, Lucas."

He softly kissed hers back.

"I want you too, Brooke."

* * *

  
**Please review. Good or bad is fine, just don't be cruel. Thanks again everyone! ** Rosie**


	9. Delicate

**A/N:** Okay so I did a lot of plotting out for the story, so it took a little longer to update. I also had my best friend come to town, and I haven't seen her in forever (and once she left, I had to get my butt back to work). So never fear, I'm not abandoning this story at all. I just get a little busy and don't have as much time to update as I would like. However, I have at least of the next chapter planned out. I should have it up Monday.

Also, I wanted to let you guys know that you're in for a real treat. My friend Angie, who is seriously a kick ass BL vidder, agreed to make a trailer-vid for this story! I've seen a few of the scenes she's working on and it looks incredible! Once she finishes it, I'll make sure to put the link up in here. In the mean time, check out her other vids. They're awesome. Especially check out her "Destiny Doesn't Lie" series. It's freaking awesome!  
h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / u s e r / D a v i s S c o f i e l d --just remove all the spaces.

Oh, and someone start a petition to get Corey (BRUCAS123) to do an update for her story "Don't Look Away."

Alright, so here we go. This chapter was named for a Damien Rice song called "Delicate" that I just adore. There's only four scenes but I got a little wordy with them so there's more in them, more description that I felt needed to be there. I hope you enjoy.

**edit: **I don't know if it's just trying to update, or if it really italicized everything. If it's all italicized it all, just know that the first and third scenes are NOT flashbacks. The second and fourth ARE.

* * *

Delicate

_We might live like never before_

_When there's nothing to give_

_Well how can we ask for more_

_We might make love in some sacred place_

_The look on your face is delicate_

It's only three a.m when Lucas Scott wakes up in a bed he isn't used to. He stares at the ceiling for a moment as he lets his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and the soft hum of the fan above the bed. As he lays there, he remembers the moments leading up to this. He remembers taking Brooke in his arms, kissing her, making love to her.

While he's woken up healed before, he's never woken with the feeling that he was about to explode. With the exception of his daughter, his heart had never been so full of woman.

He smiles, sure now that he's in Brooke's room, and he rolls to his side.

Sure enough she's still asleep beside him. Her chest rises and falls in steady rhythm, her fingertips pressed gently to the pillow case that held her beneath a nest of chestnut hair. Her cheeks are pink, lips full and turned into a smile that almost crossed her face. She makes a soft noise in the middle of a dream as the shadows of the night block out the rest of the world. Right now, they were the only two that existed.

Lucas smiles as he reaches his fingertips up to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Then he leans in gently, careful not to wake her, and he kisses her forehead. Her features are highlighted from the moon glowing through the blinds, and it really makes him take notice. She has grown up so much. She always tried to be strong, but he could still see through her like he used to be able to. He had told her once that he always saw her as vulnerable. He told her it was beautiful, and it was.

She snuggles against her pillow, almost as if she could feel his gaze as it runs along her features. It brings another smile to his lips as vibrant blue eyes look over her sleeping face. He's noticed it before but he can see just how much Grace looks like her, and he's floored with just how amazing he thinks it is. That's when he realizes it.

This is exactly where he's supposed to be. Maybe he was supposed to be here since the very beginning. Even before he went chasing after his childhood fantasy, he had gotten to know Brooke Davis and become quite taken with her. She's smart, funny, talented, brave and she's got to be one of the strongest people he's ever met. She's an amazing mother, a wonderful friend and the most incredible woman he's ever known.

He was always meant to be right here.

Comfortable in that knowledge, Lucas closes the distance between the two of them and curls his arm around her body. He kisses the top of her head and then sinks back into the pillow. And as he closes his eyes to drift back to sleep, he feels at peace.

* * *

_It's a soft lullaby that fills the room. Brooke's gentle hum and the soft creaking of a wooden rocking chair she received just that morning from Karen. With it, a letter that now sits on the night table beside Grace's crib. It explained how Karen believed rocking chairs were way underrated. She had also gone into detail how she had gotten Haley a rocking chair once Jamie was born, and now it was Brooke's turn. _

_To be honest, Brooke was definitely enjoying it. _

_Grace slept for no more than two hours at a time before she was hungry or needed a change. While Brooke loves every minute that passes, she's definitely feeling the need for sleep. Laying back in the rocking chair with her little girl snoozing against her chest, Brooke at least felt like she was getting some rest. _

_She can feel her daughter's gentle breath against her skin and it brings a smile shining across her face. She had thought being pregnant, carrying this miracle inside of her, was the happiest she could be but she was wrong. Whenever Brooke felt her angel breathing, whenever she heard her little coo, whenever she brushed her finger against Grace's palm and watched her fingers tighten into a tiny fist.. _

_That's when she knew she was complete. _

_She heard the floor boards creak and looked up to see Julian leaning against the door frame. This could be quite possibly the nicest part, she thought, until she realizes that he has his laptop bag on his shoulder. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and pressed her lips together, but she didn't say anything. _

_He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watches them. They really did look so sweet together. Brooke had taken to motherhood like a duck to water and he hasn't even realized it until now. Their daughter, Grace Elizabeth, was four weeks old. They had been a wonderful four weeks, but now it was time to get back to work. Not that he really stopped working in all that time. _

_He sees the look on her face and can't keep her in suspense. "Can we talk?"_

_They had to be the hardest words to hear, and they usually meant something bad. Brooke nods, uncrosses her legs and raises from the rocking chair slowly. She walks to the crib while she rubs her baby's back and then gently places her into the crib that's decorated with baby animals. Grace doesn't stir, though something in Brooke makes her wish her baby had. Maybe then she could put off whatever Julian's wanting to tell her. _

_She walks to the door, closing her robe around her body. "What is it?" she asks in a soft voice. _

_He looks over Brooke's head for just a moment, staring into the room to see where his daughter was resting soundly. If he was going to do this, everything would change for her too. She would have a completely different life. "Other room." He says simply, then turns from the nursery and walks into the living room. _

_Hesitantly, Brooke follows but by the time they're standing in the living room, she can't wait for him to say anything so she questions, "Where are you going?"_

_Julian looks up at her, slightly confused. _

_She nods at the bag. "You always cling to your laptop when you're about to leave." And to be honest, she's had a feeling he was going to leave again ever since he got back from a meeting with his father in Los Angeles three days ago. _

_"Yeah, well.."_

_Biting her bottom lip, Brooke asks, "When?" She knew that he was trying to get back to work and she really wanted to make him stay. For the four weeks since Grace has been born, Julian had been gone a total of five times. _

_That wasn't it. He sighed, "Seven."_

_"Tonight?" Her eyes widen. "Julian, it's.." She looks for the clock in the living room and then looks back at him, "it's four o'clock. That's in three hours."_

_He knew this wasn't going to be easy. Nodding, he rubs his palm along the top of his head. "Yeah. I have to head out in a minute so I'm at the airport for check in."_

_Brooke knows there isn't much she can do. His mind was made up. She could tell. All she could do was let him go and take care of their baby in the mean time. "When will you be back?" She asks, lowering herself to the couch cushion. She hasn't slept a full night since Grace was born and she was definitely too tired to argue. It was very unlike her, but a lot of things have changed. _

_That's when Julian sits back on the arm of a chair located across from the couch Brooke has reclined in and puts his hands on his knees. He knows she's not going to be happy. "A week. Maybe more."_

_How do you say maybe more when you have a baby at home? Must be nice to have that luxury. She still doesn't argue though. "What does that mean, maybe more, how long is that?"_

_He shrugs simply. "You remember that meeting I took with my dad last week?" Julian waits until she nods and then continues, "He wants to work with me on a movie. I'm going back there to meet with the writer and if she likes me, I'm going to direct her film."_

_It wasn't the leaving that felt like a cold metal knife stuck in her back. What really hurt the most was knowing that all of this was going on and he hadn't talked to her about any of it. When had she stopped being such a big part of his life? Why was she hearing about it for the first time before he boarded a plane to go across the country? Brooke closed her eyes for a moment and brought her fingers up to rub the bridge of her nose. She was getting a headache. "So, you're just going to be gone for the next couple of months and I'm just hearing about it three hours before you leave? That's not fair."_

_Julian doesn't mean to snap. Then again, he hasn't really had a conversation with Brooke in the past couple months that hadn't turned into an argument. "No, you know what's not fair? This isn't fair."_

_"What isn't?" She asks, a tiny bit of that Brooke Davis fire stirring in her chest. _

_"All of it. This is my dream, Brooke. I thought you would support me." So much has changed since Brooke had gotten pregnant. He'd felt like his ability to chase his dreams was being taken away and he just wasn't happy with that. He worked so hard to get here, and now he was on the cusp. She had to be happy for him. She had to support him. _

_Her hand goes to her chest, palm pressed over the heart that was getting all too used to watching him leave. "I do support you. But what about Grace? You're going to leave, just like that?" _

_"This is my shot." He says, walking over to crouch down in front of her. "This is my dream. I don't have a choice."_

_From the other room, a small cry echoes down the hall. It magnifies thanks to the baby monitor Brooke's left on the table beside them. She looks over at it and almost as soon as he crouches in front of her, she's on the rise. "You always have a choice." She mumbles. _

_Damnit. Julian hangs his head for a moment, his hand on the spot of the couch where her knee had been just a moment earlier. He taps his hand on the spot and then looks up as he watches her. She was starting to disappear down the hallway and he had a feeling that if he just let her go, he wouldn't see her until after this film. He sighs and his eyes catch a glimpse of the refrigerator filled with pictures. Some he was in, some he'd been replaced by Lucas Scott. _

_If he left, would there be more pictures with Lucas on their fridge? _

_He stands up abruptly, "Brooke."_

_She doesn't want to stop but she does. As she turns, her arms cross over her chest. "She's hungry. I have to go feed her, and I really don't want to argue with you."_

_"Come with me." Julian doesn't leave the living room. His eyes focus on the confused look that crosses her face. "You and Grace can pack up. We'll get a house, and we can all be together. It'll all work out, Brooke, just say yes."_

_Leave Tree Hill? Was she even ready for that? She'd come back for a reason. She wasn't ready to leave yet. This was home. But wouldn't it be better to move so that Grace could be with her father? Another cry echoed down the hall and bumped her out of her thought. "I have to go get her."_

_He nods, "Think about it. I'll come back in a couple days when I know if I got the job. Then we can all go out together."_

_Brooke doesn't say anything. She gives Julian a small smile, not sure if she'd see him before he left tonight. Her head was full of so much already, and now he wanted her to leave home? _

_She walks into the nursery to see her little dark haired baby kicking her legs and flailing her arms for attention. Brooke leans against the crib and reaches her hand in. Grace immediately fists her fingers around her mothers and the crying subsides. Her toothless smile widens across her face, a face that is full of innocence and beauty. _

_What was she going to do? It wasn't just her anymore. She had Grace to take into consideration. "What do you think? Should we go?"_

_Grace just continues to smile, blissfully unaware._

* * *

Lucas Scott wakes with the sun shining on his bare chest and a light breeze coming in the open window from the pier. As he stretches his arms over his head, he looks at the curtains blowing in the breeze and finds the smile on his face. He's had one of the best nights of sleep he's had in quite awhile.

He sits up in bed and realizes he's alone, but the sounds of shuffling around from the other room--followed by the little voice of his Gracie--tells him that Brooke was out there with her. He curls the sheets around his waist and walks across the room to pick up the pair of jeans he'd discarded the night before. They were now neatly folded on the top of a mahogany dresser. He takes them and a pair of boxers and puts them on before putting the sheet back on the bed.

A minute later, it's made, and Lucas grabs his shirt. He pulls it on as he walks down the hallway. On his right, he sees Brooke rushing around the kitchen. She's humming something as she flips two pieces of bacon over in a hot pan. At the table, Grace is nestled in a chair that was much too big for her. It just makes her look smaller.

The little brunette notices him leaning against the wall and squeals. Her hands go up in the air as she happily proclaims, "Uncle Lucas!" Her fork goes flying out of her hands and hits the floor. Brooke jumps but Lucas is already walking over.

"Good morning princess. Let me get that for you." He bends to pick up the fork and then walks it over to the sink. He turns on the water, washes off the fork and then looks over at Brooke. The smile is still widening his face. "Good morning to you too, Brooke Davis."

Brooke feels the blush crossing her face at the way Lucas looks at her. She hasn't felt like someone had seen her like this in such a long time. But that wasn't exactly true, was it? Lucas has been there for her through so much. She had helped him raise Penny, and he had helped her raise Grace. Even without Julian around much, she didn't feel like her daughter was missing out on anything.

Who would have thought she and Lucas Scott would have grown into these people who had these amazing lives? They had such humble beginnings. "Morning." She says, averting her eyes back to the pan once the bacon was extra crispy, just the way that Grace likes it. She turns off the stovetop and loads the bacon onto a plate. "We have waffles, potato cakes, fruit.." She then picks up the plate and turns to Lucas. "..bacon. If you want to stay for breakfast.."

Hearing that makes Grace jump up again. "Yeah, stay for breakfast Uncle Lucas!" She thanks him for the clean fork he brought over and dips it into the food on her place. "Mama made scrambled eggs too." She scoops up some and takes a big bite as she watches Brooke put the plate of bacon on the table.

Her little hand immediately reaches for it but her mom points a finger. "Wait til it cools off. It's too hot to grab."

Grace nods and pulls her hand back, turning happily to her scrambled eggs. "Is Penny here?" She asks curiously with her mouth full. Her eyes were wide and innocent but it made sense. In her mind, Lucas meant Penny. And vice versa.

Brooke slightly panics and looks over at Lucas, who is just sitting down at the table beside the little girl.

He hesitates, but answers, "No. She's at Aunt Haley's still."

Because she's young and didn't completely understand, she asks, "Why wasn't she invited to the sleepover?"

"Sleep over?" Brooke questions, her voice wavering just a little. Oh dear God please don't say she saw what happened. She now tries to go over in her mind if there was a chance that Grace may have seen the two of them being intimate. Her door had been closed and she hadn't heard it open, but what if she had witnessed their kissing in the hallway? Her heart starts to race.

Grace nods, "You let Uncle Lucas sleep over."

She hadn't given Brooke any reason to believe she'd seen anything, but she had never been in this position before, causing her to immediately throw out there the one cliche line that actually stuck in her head, "We were just wrestling."

Lucas sees how nervous Brooke's gotten, but he also sees Grace furrow her eyebrows together and look at her mother with an expression of utter confusion. He leans on the table a little, "How about you and Penny have a sleep over at our house tonight?"

This seems to satisfy her and she's suddenly off the topic of seeing her Uncle Lucas sleeping in her mommy's bed. To her, it made sense. They were friends just like she and Penny were friends, and they slept in the same bed sometimes. "Is that okay, mama?"

Lucas smiles. What other little girl would think to ask for permission? His eyes turn to Brooke and he chuckles at the look that crosses her features. "Yeah mom, is that okay?"

Brooke takes a breath and tries to relax. She hadn't expected to get so nervous. She looks at Lucas and then at her daughter and lets out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She realizes her daughter hadn't been talking about the less clothed portion of the evening. Catching up with the conversation, she nods, "Yeah. Yes. Of course. Of course it's okay."

Over the top of Grace's head, she and Lucas share a moment and end up laughing about it.

* * *

_It's Julian's offer that keeps repeating itself in Brooke's head. Live in California? She'd have to take Grace away from her home. She wouldn't get to spend every day with the people who were most important in her life. She wouldn't see Aunt Haley, or Uncle Nathan, or Jamie. She wouldn't get to hang out with Penny, and what's worse is she wouldn't have her Uncle Lucas around. That hurt Brooke most of all. _

_Leaning against the wall, she looks on as Luke plays with the two small girls. Grace was nestled in his arm as Penny knelt in front of them, looking down at the baby. Almost a year had passed between their births but Brooke could already see that Penny was going to look out for her. As a curious one year old, she hardly took her eyes off of the dark haired baby. _

_How could she take her daughter away from that? But how could she not go? Julian was her father. _

_Lucas looks up a moment later and sees the way Brooke is watching them. It wasn't too long ago that she would be watching to make sure that he was doing okay. It hadn't been easy, being a single father, but that didn't mean he was really doing all of this on his own. He had his friends to walk with him every step of the way. And Brooke Davis had down the most. She'd pulled him out of bed when he'd gone drinking. She'd yelled at him when he wouldn't listen to her pleas. She had reminded him that he needed to take care of his daughter, and even if he didn't feel like living, he had a reason to go on. _

_He owed Brooke the world. _

_After spending all that time with her, and even back to when they'd dated and turned to friends in high school, he recognized her thought filled face. Rubbing his hand on Grace's stomach, he then scoops Penny up in his other arm and takes them into the living room. First he places Penny down in her playpen, then lays Grace beside her. Neither girl seem to fuss about being put down. They were already too involved in each other. _

_He smiled at that, kissed the top of his daughter's head and then turned so he could face Brooke. "Alright, what's going on?"_

_She doesn't seem prepared for that question. She stiffens a little and stands up straight. "What are you talking about?"_

_Lucas gives her a look, "You've had something on your mind since yesterday. Is it just because Julian left last night?" God, he sure wanted to punch that boy. He had a beautiful woman and sweet daughter that loved him and just wanted him around. How could he spend a second away from them? _

_Brooke doesn't really want to go into it. How did she tell Lucas that she was considering leaving? "Yeah. That's it." Her arms cross over her chest and she looks to the ground, but the second the lie parts from her lips, she shakes her head. "No. That's not true. It's.. complicated."_

_His hand reaches out in her direction and he wiggles his fingers at her. "Okay, get over here and let's talk about it." He sees a little hesitation cross her features, but he's insisting. "Come on." _

_He smiles as she finally gives in and walks over to him. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a tight hug. As he parts, he says, "Whatever it is, you can tell me. We'll figure it out. After everything we've been through, I'm pretty sure we can find a way through it." He looks back at the couch and then sits down and pulls her down to his side. His arm winds over her shoulders. "So what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"_

_How was it possible that she already felt better just with his little bit of reassurance? It didn't make her decision for her, but she at least felt more capable of making it. Besides, it felt really good to talk about it. Her eyes avert towards the crib to check on the girls and feels a tightness in her chest. She couldn't take those two away from each other, at the very least. Right? _

_Taking a breath, she crosses one leg over the other and turns her head to face him. "Julian got that job in California." She'd talked to Lucas about this since he left. She'd told him about the phone call she got that morning from Julian saying they'd had breakfast with that client, and she ended up hiring him. Everything was happening so fast. "He wants me and Grace to go there with him, to move there." _

_There. She at least said it. _

_Lucas though felt like his breath had just been torn out of him. He stared at her for a second and felt the urge to cling to her, beg her not to go. He'd only gotten through that past year because of her. What would he do without her? _

_Realizing how selfish that sounded, he tried to push those thoughts aside. "What do __you__ want?" _

_It was the first time she'd thought about that. What did she want to do? Ever since Julian had asked, she'd thought about what would be best for Grace. She hadn't spent a second thinking about herself yet. So she took that moment and thought. Sure she could go with Julian, but she'd be leaving her family. This was her home. Nothing else had been able to replace it. She wanted to raise her daughter in the beautiful town, where you could walk down the street and know the people you pass by name instead of walking through of crowd of obscurity. _

_Tree Hill brought a smile to her face. She had been a stupid teenager once who dreamed of a day she could be out of the small town, but she hadn't appreciated it back then. Now, she did. Now it was the only place she wanted to be. _

_She whispers, "I don't want to go."_

_Lucas had to admit he was relieved when she said she didn't want it. He knew that wasn't all of it. He knew that sometimes it wasn't about what you wanted, but that was at least a step. Whether she went or not was still up to her. "What are we gonna do?"_

_Now that was a question she just couldn't answer. "I don't know." Brooke's voice is soft, full of apprehension. As a sigh escapes her, she lets her head fall to the side. His arms tighten around her and she lets out a contented breath. This was where she wanted to be, but she couldn't say that. Not after everything that's happened. Sure he's kissed her before, but he was still recovering from Peyton's death. She couldn't think of those as real kisses. She had to be smart. It wasn't just about her anymore. _

_But in the mean time, she let herself enjoy the warmth in his embrace and the gentle way he rubbed her arm, almost like he was trying to hold onto her. _

_And maybe, just maybe, he was._

* * *

_  
**As always, please review. Good or bad, just don't be cruel. Thanks again for reading!**_

_**I think I'll probably have another four or five chapters.** _


	10. Keep Breathing

**A/N:** Thank you Ingrid Michaelson for the song.

I don't have a whole lot to say right now because I'm rushing offline BUT I really hope you enjoy it! I was inspired by a certain video's "intense" scene. Oh, and because I was in such a rush, I didn't get to go over and really edit much. So if there are some misspellings or errors of the like, I will fix them later on. I'm just really into getting this up! Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Keep Breathing

"Penny!"

"Daddy!" The little girl runs full force in the direction of her father's open arms. Lucas crouches down, one knee on the floor in the doorway of Haley and Nathan's home. She'd been laying on her stomach in the living room, coloring on empty music sheets and humming to herself when he'd walked into the house.

Grace is with him, and the second Penny sees her, she changes directions. She flies past her father's waiting embrace and instead tackles her best friend.

Dumbfounded, Lucas looks up to where Nathan is sitting just a few feet away, stuck in the middle of an epic video game basketball tournament with Jamie. Nathan just chuckles as Lucas stands up and looks at the two girls hugging. "Face it Luke, you're just not as important as best friends."

A chuckle comes from across the room where Haley's just peeked her head out from the kitchen. Brian's sitting on a blanket on the floor in front of his father and brother. "Speaking of best friends.." Lucas says as he walks over to the dark haired woman in her apron, pulls her into a hug and kisses her cheek.

Haley perks a brow but didn't turn away from the hug, "Well someone's in a good mood this morning."

"Like you wouldn't believe." He answers honestly. Today Lucas had woken up feeling more incredible then he thought he could ever feel. He could see now that he and Brooke had been growing closer over the years, even before Peyton had died. She had always been there for him before that point and had continued to be there for him after him. She was there for his daughter and with her around, Lucas had no worries that Penny wouldn't understand what it felt like to have a mother.

Brooke had pretty much become that to her.

He smiles and when he looks over at his brother, he sees him staring back. "What?" Lucas asks as he walks over to a chair to the right of the couch he and Jamie sit. The game is now on pause and the eleven year old is looking back and forth between the two a little curiously.

It's Nathan who can see it. Not only does he know his brother, but he knows that kind of smile you get after a night of love making. Lucas has that look on his face like Nathan had never seen before. He doesn't even remember Jamie is beside him until the sentance is halfway out. "You and Brooke.." He stops, looks at his son, and then back to Lucas. He quickly substitutes the rest of the sentance with, "got a car last night, did you?"

Lucas's eyes widen and his hands go to the arms of the chair, almost like he was holding on for an electric shock. "I.. we.. what?" He looks across the room towards Haley, almost looking for a distraction but she's staring at him with that same expression her husband wore. She was going to be no help at all.

Clearing his throat, Lucas shakes his head and tries to relax in the chair so it doesn't look so obvious. "We did not.. get a new car."

Leave it to Nathan to chuckle and add, "Well you definitely took one for a ride."

Jamie, who firsts notices his mother come up to stand at the back of the couch, is still a little confused. Why would getting a new car be such a big deal? But his parents seemed to think it was a big deal. "Why did you get a new car, Uncle Luke?" Now he's slightly concerned as to what kind of car he'd gotten.

Knowing what 'getting a new car' really meant, Lucas looks at his nephew in shock, not making the distinction between what they meant by the statement and what the younger boy meant. "You're way too young to know about things like that."

Still confused, Jamie blinks a couple of times and asks, "Cars?" He shouldn't know about cars?

Haley can see that Lucas is struggling like a worm on a wire, so she decides to stop the torture for now. Inside, she feels a rush of excitement though. She'd been on Team Brooke from the beginning, though as Lucas's friend, she would always support him in whatever decision he made. Well, mostly. "Okay, I think that's enough talk about cars." She rubs her hands on Jamie's slightly unkempt hair and kisses the top of his head. "Why don't you take the girls out back and play on the swings for a little while? I'll make you guys a snack."

Jamie shrugs. He was lost in this conversation anyway. He rises, collects the two gabbing girls and starts to walk out back with them. He likes being older than the girls, but sometimes he wishes he was old enough to be part of the adult conversation.

Lucas watches him go, waving at the girls. Once they're outside, he turns to see both Nathan and Haley with their eyes on him. He suddenly feels like he's in the middle of an interrogation. His hands go to the arms of the chair and he uses them to push himself up. He's halfway there when Haley rushes around the couch and pushes him back down. "No way mister, you definitely have that.. look. I want details."

Nathan turns interested eyes to his wife. "_You_ want _details_?" He snickers, "That's hot."

Her hand reaches over to backhand him in the chest. "You know what I mean. Not details-details, but.." She waves her hand in front of her face and after she struggles with explaining herself, she gives up to turns towards Lucas. "Where's Brooke?"

Oh boy. "She had to run to the shop." Lucas answers.

This was going to be a long afternoon. He could tell.

* * *

The day couldn't have had a better beginning. Brooke had gotten to have breakfast with Grace and Luke, and had only even left the house because she had to stop by her store. She'd considered phoning it in today but she knew Millie would be busy, and she hadn't wanted to call Sam. The girl had college to worry about. And her mom was back in New York, so for now it was just a little piece of the day she'd have to sacrifice.

Her mind was already on anything but work as she got out of her car, and flipped through her keys to get the one for the shop. She turns it in the lock, then walks in and flips on the light. She makes sure the closed sign is still up before she locks the door behind her. She only had to work until two today.

Maybe she and Lucas could take the girls to the beach.

As she turns, the icy hand of fear grips around her heart and she lets out a cry at the dark figure that's standing just a few feet away. Her pulse jumps in her throat and the first thing she thinks is about that one horrible night when she'd be alone here, much like she was now.

She reacts before she can stop to recognize the voice that said her name. Her hand curls around the mace she carried since that attack and she sprays it while backing up towards the door. Though the fear was blinding, it wasn't deafening and it only took a handfull of seconds to realize that she knew exactly who it was.

Brooke stops spraying and squeals, "What the hell are you doing here? What were you thinking?" Anyone who had known her, knew they never snuck up on her, especially in this store. Her heart still hadn't gotten out of her throat yet.

"Damnit Brooke!" Julian hisses, eyes closed and watering. He'd never been maced before and it really stung. "I said your name."

"I didn't hear you." She said, shaking her head. Well, come to think about it, she had heard her name.. but it was dark in here and she wasn't about to wait to see what someone who was waiting for her in her store wanting to say before attacking.

Brooke drops her purse and goes over to Julian. One hand goes to his back, the other on the bend of his elbow, as she leads him to a bench. "Here, sit down. I'll get you some water." Once he's down, she leaves his side and gets a handfull of paper towels. She wets them with cold water from the back. In the mirror though, she notices an almost empty liquor bottle on the floor. Had he been here all night?

* * *

There's an intense staring match going on that Lucas Scott feels he is losing. Across the kitchen counter, his childhood best friend waits with a look of anticipation on her face. He still hadn't talked about what happened the night before, and she was dying to know. Beside her, Nathan stood with his arms over his chest, an amused look on his face. Lucas just leaned back against the counter, trying to hold onto his resolve not to say anything.

But that's cracking to pieces.

He puts his hands down on the counter to either side of him and lets out a sigh. "You two can't be serious."

Haley looks at Nathan with a brow perk and then looks back at Lucas. "Come on Luke, this has been a long time coming and now that it's happened, we just want to know what it means."

That seemed like a good, diplomatic answer. He appreciates Haley for not just attacking him over details of the night again. His eyes turn down to look at his shoes and he lets out a sigh, "I don't really know what it means. It's not like we talked about it. We fell asleep after we.."

"Had sex." Nathan finishes for him, warranting a glare from his brother. He shrugs, "What? I just want to hear you admit it."

Haley, instead of reprimanding her husband, just nods and continues to stare at Lucas.

He sighs, "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll admit it. We slept together. But we really didn't talk."

"I bet you didn't." Nathan mumbles under his breath, bemused. A hand shoots back as Haley smacks his chest and he clears his throat, "Sorry. Continue."

Lucas shakes his head as he stares down at the counter top. The night before had been something special. He had slept with Brooke before, not in many years, but he remembered the experience. It wasn't a feeling he would duplicate, and what he felt last night had been all of those feelings he'd had as a teenager amplified one thousand percent. Her skin had been smooth, her lips soft, her body full and beautiful. The smile crosses his face as he lets the memories flood over him like waves onto the shore.

_Brooke opens her eyes, her enchanting dark eyes that had always pulled him in. He reaches his hand up and gently brushes his fingertips along her pink cheek. "You're beautiful.." he whispers as he leans in and kisses her lips. _

_As he pulls from the kiss so he could see her face again, he notices that her cheeks had reddened just a little more. "Lucas.."_

_"It's true." He continues to whisper, moving his kisses now down from her earlobe and into the hollow of her neck. The fact that he could see her surprise when he told her that made his stomach knot. Someone as special and wonderful as Brooke Davis should hear how beautiful and amazing she is every single day. _

"You're totally thinking about it right now, aren't you?" The voice that broke through his thoughts was the slightly horrified shrill from Haley.

He looks up at her and then chuckles, "Maybe."

"Okay, that's gross."

Nathan, having his brother's back, puts his hand out to stop her from leaving the room and pulls her up against his chest. She playfully struggles against him as he holds her, whispering against her ear. Lucas watches as the smile widens his face.

_Grace walks into her bedroom and before Brooke can head down the hallway, Lucas reaches his hand out and catches her around the waist. She giggles as he pulls her body back against his chest. "Lucas!" She half-whispers, half-hisses. "What if Grace sees?"_

_"I know," he says in a small voice. "I just can''t help myself. I want to kiss you." He places a small one against her shoulder and then he loosens his grip so that she can turn in his arms. Her hands touch his chest as his rest against her hips. He lowers his mouth and brushes his lips across hers. _

"Ew. He's doing it again." Haley reaches for a dish rag from the kitchen counter and throws it in Lucas's face, dragging him out of another day dream.

He looks up to see her back against Nathan, his arms around her. That's what Lucas wants. He wants to hold Brooke like that for the whole world to see. They've been a family since the moment Penny was born, whether they had realized it or not.

Lucas grabs the dish rag she'd thrown, and tosses it back at them. "Get a room." He smiles to himself though. He couldn't wait til he could see Brooke. He wants to tell her how he feels, he wants to be with her. He's always wanted it.

* * *

Brooke sits on the bench beside Julian as she pats the wet paper towel against his eyes. He has red rings around them now, and they're still glassy, but he seems to be able to open them without any pain now. She lets out a sigh, "You'd think you'd know not to sneak up on me when I'm alone in the shop." She'd been fidgety for as long as she could remember. Being attacked would do that to you.

"I didn't sneak up on you." Julian grumbles under his breath. "I said your name, you just didn't hear me before you decided to melt my eyes with acid."

She shakes her head, "Don't be so dramatic. It's mace, and you're not even tearing up anymore."

He reaches up, takes the wet paper towel from her hand and then stands. He walks over to the front counter and puts his hands on it. "We can't even talk for one minute before having a fight." He states. It was true. So much had happened between the two of them and now it was all just a big pile of rubble on the ground. He didn't even remember it falling down.

Brooke watches him lean on the counter, head slumped, arms straight. He often looked like that when he was thinking something serious. She knew from watching him work a long time ago. Despite all the time that's passed, he hasn't changed. "What were you doing here?" She finally asks, not in an angry or accusatory voice. Now it was solely full of concern.

She couldn't help the fact she had a caring heart. And whether or not he'd been around, he was still Grace's father. Of course she cared about his well-being.

Julian doesn't say anything for a handfull of moments, instead he dives into memories of when his life was less hectic. He used to be happy here in Tree Hill. It wasn't his home, but he had liked it. He'd liked it because he'd been with Brooke, and that was all that had mattered. Then they had broken up shortly before Lucas and Peyton's wedding.

After that everything had just happened so quickly. He'd received the call that Peyton died, came back for the funeral, and that night, he and Brooke had reconciled. They'd also conceived Grace that night.

He could admit that some part of him knew that Brooke was pregnant before she had taken the pregnancy test. He remembered waking up one morning and seeing her crouched on the floor in front of the toilet. He hadn't gone to her because she didn't see him, so he just went back to bed. When she'd flushed the toilet, brushed her teeth and finally came back out, he'd acted like he was still asleep.. but he knew it wasn't the flu. Something inside told him she was pregnant, and he'd been pretty much running ever since.

"Julian.."

He felt the hand at his back and listened to her voice from just inches away. This was still Brooke Davis, and once upon a time, she had been in love with him. "I couldn't go home after I got your message. I was looking for Grace and when I heard your voice say that Lucas had found her.." He shakes his head, not turning to look at her quite yet.

She doesn't know what to say. Was she supposed to feel sorry that he didn't like that Lucas had found her before he did? Well she wasn't going to do that. She wasn't about to feel that way. She didn't care who had found her daughter so long as she was home now. "If you're going to get into another fit about Lucas being part of her life, then I really don't--"

"No," Julian says, cutting her off. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" The last thing she means to sound is impatient, but it was so easy to go on the defensive around him. Especially when he mentioned Lucas.

He finally turns, his back against the counter as he looks towards the front door. He lets out a sigh because it was becoming especially clear to him now of what was happening. "I remember when I fell in love with you. I know I told you before but it was that.. stupid dance. You were right here.." He steps forward and stands in the spot. He can almost see it like it was happening in a movie. Right now, the boy was going to have to say something very important if he wanted to get the girl back. Because he could see that he was losing her.

Pan left.

He turns his head and looks at her. "In this very spot. Do you remember?"

Of course she remembered.

Brooke raises her eyes to look at him as she crosses her arms over her chest. She had been so embarassed when he came in and caught her dancing. But he had been so charming back then, and she'd just eaten it up. "What does this have to do with anything?" She asks.

"I miss you, Brooke." He spouts. This was the part where the audience swoons. They see a character that is flawed, but full of heart. One that's taking a huge leap of faith and putting his heart out there. He sees the shock on her face and walks over to her. He puts his hands on her wrists. "Did you ever miss me?"

It's the last thing that she expected. She almost feels like she's blind sided. It takes a second to regain herself, but after a few slow breaths, she nods, "Of course I did. But it was never about me."

Maybe he was taking his big leap of faith with the wrong girl. "It was about Grace." He says quietly.

How long had she been waiting for him to realize this? "She misses you too, Julian. All she wants is to know that her father wants to be there for her more than he wants to be anywhere else. Do you have any idea how much that little girl looks up to you?"

Julian looks down. This isn't something he didn't know but everything had just happened so quickly. "I wasn't ready to be a father."

"That doesn't stop you from becoming one." Brooke answers easily. "You need to be there for her Julian, or someone else will be." It wasn't a threat, it was the truth. One day, if he didn't watch, Grace would be calling someone else daddy and Julian would be reduced to the guy that just got her mother pregnant. She watches him and wonders how much is really getting through to him. They'd argued about this a million times in the past but never had they had a conversation without yelling.

He perks a brow. His voice is low, monotone, as he asks, "Like Lucas Scott?"

Brooke doesn't answer, but that's answer enough for him. Maybe that's exactly what it was going to mean. That was exactly what has been happening. Lucas has been there for her, for his daughter, while he was off making his movies. "She's my daughter."

"_I _know that. Do you?"

"Of course I know she is." He looks at the expression on her face. She doesn't seem like she was affected at all by what he'd said about her, about missing her, but now.. now that they talk about Grace, it's full of emotion. Now was the time for something big. "I messed up, Brooke."

His words take her by surprise, but she lets him continue.

"I made a mistake. I was scared and I started to run, and I just didn't know how to stop. Can you understand that?" Julian felt like he was losing Brooke, if she wasn't already lost, but he still had a chance with Grace.

He watches her struggle for an answer and it feels like a knife slicing through him, hot metal through soft butter. After a few seconds, he just nods and looks away from her.

Brooke lets out a breath because while he was up all night, she was in bed with another man. One she had given her heart to, her whole heart, a long time ago. But she'd never gotten it all back. It had filled with a new love when she'd had Grace, but there was always a part of it that had been with that man. She had hidden that fact for years, letting him find his own way. She loved Lucas and felt that he deserved to find what he wanted on his own. Maybe she even gave him permission to love Peyton, that night so long ago in high school. And once upon a time she had regretted that. But then she'd grown up.

And now, she wouldn't change it for the world. She and Lucas understood each other on so many new levels, and without that choice, he would have never had that wonderful little girl that had changed his world.

She can't lie to him. She'd been lied to before and it hurt worse to find out about it herself then it would have if she'd just been told in the first place. Brooke presses her lips together, gathers her courage and steps up to him. "Lucas spent the night."

Julian holds his breath, "Did you sleep with him?"

Looking at Julian now, she feels the first throb of guilt. There was an ache for the girl she had been so very long ago, and the boy that now stood in front of her.

She breathes, "Yes."

* * *

Lucas sits on his living room couch as a very pretty blonde girl rests against his chest. Penny always sleeps so easily when she can listen to her father's breathe. He had wanted to put her in her bed but didn't get up just yet. Grace is still wide awake, laying on her stomach against the carpet as she colors in her Disney Princess coloring book.

He watches her with a smile on his face. When he told her it was time to relax for nap time, she'd simply thought about it, then shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, Uncle Lucas, but i'm going to have to pass." She'd said, then went back to coloring. He could imagine the little girl listening in on her mother's work calls. She had sounded just like Brooke when she'd said that, using words that were much too big for a four year old.

However, he'd been amused and couldn't seem to force her to go lay down after that. Besides, he was in a great mood today.

After spending a couple of hours with Nathan, Haley and Jamie, getting grilled most of the time over his night, he brought the girls home, made them macaroni and cheese for lunch and here they were. Brooke had mentioned she would be by around lunch time, so Lucas was going to get up and heat up some of the macaroni when he heard the knock at the door.

Grace looks up and is already on her feet before Lucas can even sit up. She runs at the door.

"Ask who it is first. Gracie." Lucas reminds her. After her incident of letting mormons into the house not long ago, they had both made a point to remind her not to just open the door to anyone.

She puts her hands on the door like she's cupping her mouth and then leans in to try and talk through the space between it and the door frame. Her voice is muffled as she asks, "Who's there?"

As Lucas rolls himself up, he carefully rests Penny down against the cushions, and hears the voice on the other side of the door.

"It's mommy." Brooke's voice says back through the door.

Grace doesn't waste any time as she opens the door and throws both her arms around Brooke's legs. "I was waiting for you mama!" She exclaims. "I colored you a picture. Do you want to see?"

This wasn't the part that Brooke had been looking forward to, but she smiled at her young daughter as she ran her fingers through the little girl's hair. "Yeah, I'd really like that."

Satisfied with that, Grace runs into the room, almost barrelling Lucas over once he was standing, grabs her picture and runs back to her mom, holding it high up in the air for her to see. "It's Belle, see Mama? And she has the rose, and the beast is watching her."

Beauty and the Beast is Grace's favorite story.

Brooke lifts her eyes when she sees the tall figure come to stand in front of the door. She can't look at Lucas for long or she's sure she fall into him. She couldn't do that.

Lucas can see something wrong with Brooke. She looks troubled and his first instinct is to comfort her. Had something happened at the shop? Why did she look like she had that strong face on, the one she wore when she didn't want anyone to see she was hurting. She'd worn that face so many times over the years. Sometimes she had worn it to protect herself from heartache, something she had been afraid of because of his own actions. Now it was something else and all he wanted to do was reach for her.

With concern clouding his voice, he asks, "Why don't you come in? I was just about to heat up some lunch for you."

She doesn't move for a second. God, how that offer sounded good! She would love to go in and spend the afternoon with him, watching their girls playing together, talking and laughing.. It sounded like heaven. Now she just wishes she hadn't left for the shop that morning. She should have just stayed in bed. "I can't." She says in a small voice.

After she clears her throat, she looks down at Grace. "Go ahead and get your stuff, baby. We're going home."

Lucas and Grace both spoke at the same time with a quick, "We are?" "You are?"

Brooke takes a breath and nods, hiding her emotions with a pretty smile. She tucks Grace's hair behind her ear. "Yes, we are. Go ahead and hurry up."

She watches as her daughter turns away and heads back into the living room to start gathering her things. For a moment she changes her mind, but she knows she can't. She needs to do right by her little girl. It was all about Grace now, and that's how it should be. That's how Brooke wanted it to be.

It's Lucas that's staring at her with a confused expression on his face. Brooke hasn't looked up at him. His stomach was heavy with nerves now, "What's going on?" He asks nervously. He has a feeling that he's really not going to like this answer, but he has to know.

It would be better to just get it all out. "I can't do this, Lucas." Her chest tightens and she can already feel her nose starting to tingle, the way it always does when she's about to cry. She doesn't want to cry in front of Lucas though. No, she needed to be serious about this. She needs him to understand.

"What are you talking about?" He questions her.

"This, us, I can't do it." _But I want to_, she adds mentally. How long has she been in love with Lucas? Now that she felt close to getting to experience it, she was going to walk away from it. And not because it was safer. She'd long since come to trust Lucas with her most important parts: her daughter, and her heart.

"But what about last night.."

"It was a mistake." She says quickly. The knot in her throat tightens and it's hard to talk around it. Her eyes dart away so that he can't see the shadows in them. "You'd just found Grace, and you walked me home.. I reacted. We shouldn't have done what we did."

He can't believe what he's hearing. "You don't believe it was a mistake anymore than I do." Brooke had changed a lot over the years, and Lucas had been lucky to witness it. She wasn't the girl in high school that made mistakes like that, not when they were as important as who she made love to. "Why are you doing this?" The shock from her words slowly dissipates and now he's left with this feeling of panic, of emptiness, like he was about to lose her.

Brooke struggles hard not to let the tear slip from her eye but when she blinks, one springs out and rolls down her cheek. He was right. She didn't think what happened was a mistake. Far from it. She can't think of what to say so she just keeps her mouth shut. If she didn't say anything, she wouldn't cry, and if she didn't cry, he wouldn't find out that she was breaking inside.

But he knew her too well for that. As his eyes catch the motion of that tear, he reaches up and gently brushes the back of his fingertips across her cheek, drying the tear away. Then he turns his hand over so he can cup the side of her face. He sees her struggle not to look at him but slowly, her eyes start to rise up until they meet his. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

She still doesn't say anything but her lips are pressed together, like she's holding something in.

"Brooke.." His voice is a plea. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't be able to get over that loss.

It would be so easy to give in.

"All ready, mama!" Grace happily proclaims.

Brooke jumps away from Lucas and crouches so she can scoop her daughter up in her arms. "Alright, let's go." She doesn't look back, because she's sure that she'll go back if she does. Instead, she clings onto Grace as she carries her to the car.

Grace is surprised when she sees Julian in the driver's seat. She squeals in excitement and starts talking to him a mile a minute as he turns the car on. Brooke, now in the front seat, looks out the window to where Lucas is still standing in the front door. She can see the look on his face and she knows that he sees Julian. She hadn't wanted to do this, but it was the right thing.

She had to keep telling herself that.

Noticing that Brooke hasn't turned her head away, Julian reaches over and puts his hand on her thigh. "Hey, you alright?"

Hiding that sadness, Brooke turns her head with a smile on her face. She nods, "Yeah, fine." Truthfully, she was anything but. It helped though to hear the happy chatter from the backseat. Grace was happy and that's what really mattered.

As the car pulled away from the Scott house, Brooke touches her hand to the cheek that Lucas had touched, but she doesn't say a thing.  


* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please review. Good or bad, just don't be cruel. :)**


	11. Anywhere But Here

**Author's Note:** I know this took forever but please forgive me. I've been on and off sick for like, a month now. I tried to update sooner but it just wasn't working for me. The song is "Anywhere but Here" by Safety Suit. LOVE this song. These scenes are a little longer than normal, so there aren't as many, but it's a great lead up towards where i'm taking this story. I can't wait until we get there.

Also, for those who don't know, my friend Angie made a trailer vid for this story. It's incredible! She's such a talented vidder and it truly looks amazing.  
You can check it out at the following link (just erase the spaces!)  
h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = o 6 r H e 9 g q H i I  
Check it out and make sure to comment her and tell her how fabulous she is!

I also want to thank everyone who has been patient with me through this long update. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take as long. Well, enjoy!

* * *

**Anywhere But Here**

_When I'm not with you  
__I know that it's true_  
_I'd rather be anywhere  
but here without you_

He stands in the door frame, unable to move a finger.

It feels like he's just been punched in the stomach. It's a doubling over pain but he's stuck. He's a statue.

Just a moment ago, he had his hand against the side of her face. His thumb rolls over the apple of her cheek and dries a tear that has escaped from her green eyes. He sees the lines on her face turn down in a way he's seen a few times before. She bites her bottom lip as though she's trying to keep herself from saying something. Or worse, crying. She's such a strong person but one of her flaws is her insistence against letting anyone see her like this. It makes her feel weak, and he knows this because they've talked about it before.

They're so close now, closer than he's been with anyone but that look in her eye is a warning. It's a flashing sign that says she's about to do something she doesn't really want to do. He can feel it, like he's already losing her. "Brooke.." His voice is stuck between a request and a plea.

Her lips part but not a sound escapes them.

Lucas steps in, just a step but it's enough to bring them less than an inch away from each other. His eyes search hers. He has to find something to hold on to. He can feel like if she leaves, he'd lose her.. and that's the last thing that he can handle. It's the last thing he wants. As he starts to lean in, he thinks about the way her lips felt the night they made love. Warm and soft, tender and gentle, loving and full.. all the things that made Brooke Davis exactly who she is.

As he closes the distance, it's not the love-making that sticks out in his mind. It was the moment he woke up and saw her asleep beside him. He felt complete, in ways that he never expected. The moonlight was silk across her sleeping form, and his heart had come to life.

The sound of a Grace's voice came resounding from the hallway and Brooke had jumped so fast that it staggered him. She scoops up her daughter and is gone before he can even blink. "Wait.." He pleas as he steps forward onto the front step, but either she didn't hear him, or she wasn't answering. He watches her move to the car and as she buckles Grace into the backseat, he sees the last person he wanted to see.

Julian.

He sits in the driver's side, staring right back up at Lucas. Smirking.

"He was smirking?"

The voice jogs Lucas out of his memory. He's not back in that moment anymore. He's far from his front porch. A week has passed since he stood there, staring as Julian drove off with two very big pieces of his heart.

For most of that time, Lucas has been replaying it over in his head. Should he have done something more to get her to stay? He had just stood there while she was taken away, and he did nothing. Now he was really feeling like an idiot. After a week of beating himself up about it, Nathan decided to get him out of the house. Early that morning, he and Haley had stormed the house. She took Penny and Brian, while he and Jamie got Lucas out to the Rivercourt.

Lazily bouncing the basketball with his left hand, Nathan perked a brow as he listened to Lucas recount the story for him. "Like, actually smirking?"

Lucas nodded, sitting on the bleachers as he watched his brother and nephew shoot some hoops. "Yeah. Actually smirking at me like.. I got what I want and you didn't."

"What an ass." Jamie muttered under his breath. His eyes went wide though when he realized he said it outloud. He immediately looks over at his dad and chuckles. He nervously offers, "What happens at the Rivercourt, stays at the Rivercourt?" He doesn't want to hear his mom go off again about cursing, so he looks anxiously at his dad for a free pass.

Nathan shakes his head in amusement. "You're lucky Uncle Lucas is so screwed up or you'd be in trouble." He bounces the ball to his eleven year old son, who is incredibly thankful for the reprieve.

"Thanks for being screwed up, Uncle Lucas." He comments as he bounces the ball a few times, runs up to the net and jumps to dunk the ball. His fingers touch the rim before he falls back down to his feet. He smiles good heartedly at his uncle, not _actually_ happy that his favorite-slash-only uncle was unhappy.

Lucas shakes his head, "No problem." Then he leans back against the metal steps and looks up at the sky.

With a pat to his son's shoulder, Nathan walks off the court and sits down beside his older brother. "What my foul mouthed son is trying to say is.." He thinks about it for a second but realizes that Jamie actually had it nailed pretty well. "What an ass." He reiterates.

"Heard that!" Jamie called from the three point line.

Nathan looks over, smirks, and then looks back at Lucas. "But it's not really news that Julian's a jerk. So what really bugs you about this?" He asks.

There was a part of Lucas that really wanted to fight with his brother about this. He wanted to say that it was just because of that smart ass look on Julian's face, but it wasn't. "He doesn't even get it."

"Get what?"

Lucas brushes his fingers over the top of his head and then leans forward. "Grace, and Brooke. He doesn't even see how lucky he is to have them. He takes them for granted every chance he gets. Grace deserves better than him, and so does Brooke."

Over the past couple of years, Nathan has watched his brother in this dance with Brooke Davis. The first time he saw it, Brooke had been six months pregnant with little Grace. He and Haley had the two over for a cookout beside the pool. Brooke had refused to get in a bathing suit with her big belly and spent most of the time on the lawn chair.

While he was flipping burgers and watching Haley and Jamie playing in the pool, he had caught a glimpse of Lucas as he sat down in the chair beside Brooke. Her face was filled with excitement, which mirrored his as he placed his palm against her belly. Nathan had known that look. It was the utter amazement of feeling your child kicking.

He had watched Lucas kiss Brooke's forehead as his thumb gently rubbed her swollen stomach, and Nathan knew there was something there, even then.

"So, you and Brooke, what's the deal?" Nathan asks, though he has a feeling he already knows.

"We haven't spoken in a week. She hasn't returned any of my phone calls." It's a sad, but true fact. Usually they didn't go a day without even seeing each other, and now it has been a week.

"What are you gonna do?"

Lucas just shook his head. It's a good question. "I don't know." What _could_ he do? Brooke was gone now. She was in Los Angeles.. with _him_.

* * *

Grace sits at a glass table beside a window that overlooks the lights of Los Angeles. The city is bustling with life and energy. Nothing ever looks the same the second time you look at it. It's one of the things that Brooke first noticed about the scenary from Julian's loft apartment. While once upon a time it was something that Brooke enjoyed, having loved living in New York after high school, it just wasn't right. Not now at least.

She watches her daughter and it makes her heart race slightly. Of course logic dictates that those windows are very thick and there's very little chance of her falling out, it's not logic that churns her mommy brain.

Brooke walks over to the monkey play carpet that Lucas and Penny had given Grace for her last birthday, and places a box of crayons on it. "Gracie, come over here and color. Mama has to clean off that table."

Despite her age, Grace is smart enough to know that her mom doesn't like her so close to the window. Even though she has fun looking over the city, she doesn't want to upset her mother, so she slips out of the chair and walks over to the carpet. Laying down on her stomach, feet in the air, she picks up a blue crayon and starts coloring in the kitten on her page. Blue fur, red bow, pink nose. Next page.

As she plays, Brooke picks up a bottle of cleaner and sprays the table, she thinks about the dinner they should be having. Julian had promised they would sit down at the table and eat like a real family. Over the past few days, it's become clear to her. They aren't a real family.

She desperately wants that for her daughter.

Using the paper towels to clean in circles, she feels the anger start up inside her. Even if it didn't work between the two of them, she wants him to be there for Grace. Promising a family dinner and never showing up just wasn't going to cut it. He has been promising them ever since they arrived in Los Angeles. He'd been around for a total of two hours before he was called off to work. At first, Grace had been so sure he would come back but now, she seems so used to him not being around.

It actually hurts Brooke. It makes her think of her own father.

When she was a little girl, she used to wait by the window for her father to come home. He promised he'd be there for birthdays and holidays, vacations and weekends. Every time, she would say, "It's okay. He'll be here next time." But next time never came. And it took a couple years but she eventually stopped waiting by the window.

She could see herself in her daughter, and she really didn't want to make Grace go through everything she had been through.

The phone ringing catches her attention. She leaves the spray on the table and walks over to the phone. She's about to answer it when she sees 'Lucas's Cell' printed across her screen. Her fingers hesitate and ultimately she doesn't answer the phone. It goes to voicemail. He'd called earlier that day, and every day the entire week she's been here. She hasn't answered the call once. Why is it so hard to answer that phone call?

After a moment, she picks up the phone, calls her voicemail to hear her missed message.

_"Brooke.. it's me. Again. _

_I think I'm starting to sound like a real stalker. I just.."_

She misses his voice so much. She misses seeing him, spending hours relaxing on the couch with him as they watch their daughters play together. But it's more than that. She misses the way his arm usually curls over her shoulders as he pulls her close, the way his heart beat sounds against his chest when she rests on him. It's everything.

He sighs, _"Call me back. Please."_ Click.

As Brooke stares down at the phone (saving the message without even thinking about it), she's surprised by her daughter's voice. "That was Uncle Lucas again, wasn't it?"

She smiles as she places her phone down on the table and walks over to sit down beside her daughter. Easily, she starts to braid the Grace's dark locks. "When did you get so smart, little girl?"

"I don't know," Grace answers sweetly. "I was just born that way." She exchanges the pink crayon for a purple one and continues to color in the new pictures. She's only distacted for a moment, then remembers the phone call. She doesn't take her eyes off the page as she sighs and admits, "I miss him."

Yeah, me too, Brooke thinks, but she doesn't say that part outloud. Once the hair is braided, she rests it over Grace's shoulder and smiles. Grace and Lucas always had a wonderful relationship. At first it had been because Julian wasn't around. Then it was because he and Brooke had become such close friends, but it had always been more than that. They were like two peas in a pod. "You really love your Uncle Lucas, don't you?"

Without missing a beat, Grace happily announces, "Mmhmm, I'm gonna marry him when I grow up."

It should be her father that she makes those statements about, but what gets Brooke is the voice in the back of her head that says, 'she is.' The sentiment warms her heart and she smiles, "Oh you are, are you?"

Grace finally looks up from her drawing with a beaming smile crossing her face. "Yep. That way you, and me, and Penny and Uncle Lucas can live together and play all the time."

Brooke lets a small smile tug at her lips as she crosses her legs in front of her, leans back against the couch and holds her arms out. "Come here." She watches her daughter as the girl crawls over and then curls up into her lap. Brooke's fingers slowly pull through the soft strands. She kisses the top of her head as she slowly rocks her. Was this a good idea? she wonders. When they are alone, Julian seems so sure that he wants to be a family with them.

_What about how you show it?_ Her own voice pops back into her head from an instance she had with Lucas a very long time ago. How things have changed since then.

"When are we going home, mama?" Grace asks innocently. The truth is that she likes getting to see her father, but she misses her bed and her toys; especially her friends and her Uncle.

For children it's always so simple. They go after what makes them happy, where they enjoy being. It has little to do with the way of the world and everything to do with matters of the heart. You follow it and you don't think about where it may lead you. You know what you want and you chase after it with every fiber of your being.

"Soon, baby." Brooke whispers. Home wasn't Tree Hill. She'd lived away from it before and come back while everyone was out, chasing their dreams. It wasn't the town, or the school. It wasn't her house, or the Rivercourt. Afterall, it was just a basketball court. What made it special were the people who played ball on it. What made it magical were the memories that were made there.

It wasn't about Tree Hill.

It was about sitting in the stands and cheering Jamie on as he played ball for Tree Hill Elementary. It was about racing around with Haley to get the camera when Brian crawled for the first time, trying desperately to document that first moment. It was about cooking hamburgers in the backyard with two people who had become her best friends. And it was about Lucas's laugh when he watches the girls playing. It was his smile when he heard Penny trying to play dinosaurs while Grace wanted to play princess.

Brooke looks down at her daughter who is occupied twisting the charm at the end of her mother's necklace; a necklace that she got from a man that she was desperate to see again. She wants to give Grace a home but maybe that didn't mean following Julian around. Their home was a little less than three thousand miles away from here.

Maybe it's time to take her back to it.

"Real soon."

* * *

"Aunt Haley?" Penny looks up from her construction paper towards the older woman who's seated just feet away from her. It's that time of year again. Her birthday isn't that far off, and like every birthday, she draws a few pictures to leave at her mom's grave.

Haley turns her head as she takes the blue crayon from Brian's fist. He fusses, having wanted to put it in his mouth, but she quickly replaces it with a pacifier. He looks disgruntled and bangs his hands on the table but soon finds himself interested in something else. She runs her hand along the top of his head, "Yes, sweetie?"

The little blonde switches out colors and keeps drawing. "Do you think my mom sees the pictures I make her?"

The question surprises her a little. Haley hasn't been prepared to answer something like that, but she finds the words easily. "Of course she does. Why do you ask?"

She shrugs.

It's been in her head for days.. weeks. Maybe longer. "Well, my mom's in Heaven, right?"

"Right." At first, it had been hard, Haley remembers. She used to cry, wondering how her niece would grow up without a mother. That had changed though. Lucas has done a fantastic job raising his little girl. She was so smart, especially when she asks questions like these. She's just like her father was when he was a little boy.

"Then how can she see the pictures from all the way up there?" Penny's finally finished drawing. Usually she draws her mother a picture of herself and her daddy. This year the picture was a little more elaborate. She's really taken a shine to drawing over the last twelve months.

Haley reaches over and runs her fingers through the little girl's curls. Brian looks up like he's suddenly interested in the movement. He stares at his cousin and giggles without cause. It brings a smile to Haley's face. "Honey, your mom is always watching you. Even when you can't see her, she's there. So I promise you she's seen every picture you've left her."

Content with the answer, Penny just nods and looks down at her picture. She follows the lines and the bright colors with her eyes and smiles at it. This year it isn't just her and her daddy. This year shows her and her best friend playing in the grass. It shows her daddy smiling at them, but it also shows someone very important playing with them. Brooke.

"Aunt Haley?" Penny asks again, her eyes now rise to her smiling Aunt.

Haley turns Brian and sits him on the table, her hands on either side of him. He waves his hands like he's trying to fly and then laughs at himself. She laughs too. Once her head turns to look at Penny again, she grins, "Hmm?"

"Is it okay for me to love Aunt Brooke even though my mom's in Heaven?"

That question stops Haley completely, almost like the breaks were thrown on as she skids to a hault. That hadn't been a question she'd expected either. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" She asks. Something about the tone in Penny's voice, and the picture of her with a brunette, told Haley there was something deeper to this.

Penny however, has to think about it for a minute. She bites on her bottom lip and it's something, Haley notices, that Brooke does when she's working on something new. Haley wonders if she should call Lucas. Maybe he should be the one to address this?

Too late for that.

The blonde looks up, "I know I have a mom, but.. Aunt Brooke reads me stories before bedtime, and she cooks breakfast, and she hugs me." Penny lifts her leg on top of the table and points to a T-Rex bandaid on her knee. "She made my boo-boo all better. See?"

Haley listens and finds herself smiling, "She did, didn't she?" It hasn't just been Lucas raising that little girl, and this prooved it.

Penny nods, "Yep." She puts her leg back down, letting it hang under the table and lets out a small sigh. "You want to know a secret but you can't tell anybody in the world?"

With Penny's lowered voice, Haley leans in and whispers as well, "What is it?"

"For my birthday," She starts as she quickly looks around to make sure no one else is in earshot to hear her secret, even though daddy, Uncle Nathan and Jamie were at the Rivercourt. And Brian isn't going to tell anyone. "I want Aunt Brooke to be my mama."

Haley can't even find the words to say to that. She stares for a moment, before Penny continues. "but I don't want to make my mom sad."

She takes a breath as she looks at Penny. She can't deny that she had a feeling this would happen one day. Brooke and Lucas have been inseparable for years now, and soon it would be the kids that expect it to be like this. She makes mental plans to talk with Lucas later that night. For now, she scoots a little closer and tucks her curls behind her ear, "I think that your mom is going to be happy as long as you're happy."

"Really?" Penny asks, a light brightening inside of her at that.

Haley nods, "Really." Then she leans in and kisses her forehead. "I'll tell you a little secret too. All us mom's really want is to see our kids happy. Safe and protected, of course, but happy."

"I'd be happy if Aunt Brooke was my mama." All she thinks about are all the times that Brooke was the one who was there for her. Of course he father was always around. He rocked her to sleep when she had nightmares, made her laugh when she was scared, played pretend with her when she was bored. He was the best daddy in the world, but she wants want Jamie and Brian have. She wants a family with a real mommy and daddy, and Grace.

Almost matter-of-factly Penny adds, "I think daddy and Gracie would be happy too. And he could be Gracie's daddy!"

It's always so innocent to a child, and right now, there was nothing that made more sense then the four of them becoming a real family.

"Grace has a daddy, sweetheart." Haley reminds her, her smile wavers slightly.

Penny seems to think about this for a minute and then perks up. "She could just switch daddies! Mine's better anyway."

The comment brings Haley into a fit of giggles. How right she was.

* * *

It's almost three in the morning when Julian finally walks in. He has his phone stuck to his ear as he yammers on about set designs and partying actors. Brooke looks up from her spot on the couch as he enters the room, but she says nothing.

Even this early in the morning, and he's still going on about work. She understands what it's like to have to get something done, but this just wasn't going to work out for her and Grace. She crosses on leg over the other, arms over her chest as she looks in his direction, mentally willing him to put the phone down.

Julian knows he's in trouble the second he sees that look on her face. He holds up his index finger at her to signify another minute and wanders into the kitchen.

Brooke is just stunned, and now she really doesn't want to talk to him at all. Who was he to just come home whenever he wanted, without even giving them a call to let them know he was going to be late? She had agreed to come out here because he wanted to spend time with his daughter, at least that's what he said. Right now, she just wants to punch him. Instead she gets up, walks over to the kitchen and snatches his phone from his ear.

He turns with wide eyes and grabs for the phone but she holds it just out of reach. "Brooke. Give me back my phone."

"No." The voice on the other end is saying Julian's name, trying to get his attention, and Julian looks anxious.

"Brooke." His voice is a little more stern now. "Don't act like a four year old. Give me my phone." He almost sounds like he's talking to a child.

That doesn't soften Brooke's mood any. She's not a child, and she detests being spoken to like she is one. This isn't worth it right now. Instead, she pushes the phone into his stomach, _maybe_ a little harder than she needed to. "Keep your voice down. Our child is sleeping." Then she turns. She knows now that she shouldn't have stayed up for this.

Julian catches the phone but watches Brooke as she starts to walk down the hall. He gets that feeling again. If she walks out now, she'll never walk back in. Brooke Davis is a very stubborn woman, and for as much work as she was, he wanted to be with her. At the very least, he didn't want to lose her to Lucas Scott. "Brooke." He hesitates and pulls the phone to his ear but the man on the other end hung up, so he closes it, puts it on the counter and walks after her. "That was a _business_ call, Brooke. You can't just grab my phone because you want attention."

She spins on the heel of her foot, "Because _**I**_ want attention?" She repeats. Her voice is a hiss, almost spitting venom with each syllable. "I know you did not just say that to me."

"Well then what the hell was that little stunt in there? That was the producer, and now he thinks I hung up on him." Julian motions back towards the kitchen, but he doesn't notice the little girl who peeks her head out from around the corner of the hallway.

Was he serious? "I don't care _who_ was on that phone call. You can't just--"

He cuts her off. "And that's just the problem, isn't it?"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Brooke asks. "This isn't about some stupid phone call!"

Julian's arms go up in the air like he's fed up. "And there it is again!"

"There _what_ is?" She tries with each word to keep her voice down, but she finds it so hard. This isn't the first time that a fight was coming out of nothing. This happens all the time, and quite frankly, she's sick of it. All she wants to do is pack up her little girl and go home.. if it wasn't for Gracie wanting to spend time with her father.

"Did you even hear yourself? You did it twice. You don't care who I'm talking to. You don't care about my work. You never cared about any of it. You thought it was just some stupid phone call." Julian digs into her because this is how it's always been. She's never supported him.

She shakes her head, "I didn't mean it like that."

"But you said it." He insists. "Do you need me to rewind the tape for you?"

"Don't do that." Brooke says as her hands go to her hips. "Don't you antagonize me." She just wants to scream. When did this get so screwed up? There had been a time when she was wildly passionate about Julian Baker. He had been there for her once Peyton died. She'd cried on his shoulders and he held her. He stood by her during the funeral, helped her stand on her own. And now they were reduced to screaming at each other every chance they got.

"You said it." He repeats. He can't pinpoint it but there's something about winning this fight that matters to him.

"Oh my God!" She turns and walks into the living room. Why was he being like this? "Fine. Is that what you want? Yes, I said it. Does that make you happy? My God, this isn't about your phone call. It's about the fact that you came walking in here at three in the morning. Did you even think to call us? Grace was up until midnight waiting for you to come home."

When she mentions Grace, Julian turns, "Don't do that."

"Do _what_?"

"Don't use her to make me feel guilty!" He spins back to look at her. "You always go back to her. You always use her to make me feel bad for doing something I love! How do you think I feel about that? Like shit, Brooke. That's how I feel. You throw her in my face every damn chance you get! You act like I don't want to be around her!"

"Oh, do I? Well excuse me, I assumed if you wanted to spend time with her, you would--I don't know--actually spend time with her!" Her fingers are shaking but she hides them in fists that plant against her hips. She feels the anger inside her but it's so overwhelming that she knows she's about to cry. She really doesn't want to cry in front of Julian.

He's about ready to explode. It's always a fight with her. "Not all of us own our own business and can afford to sit back and do nothing. I've been _working_ the past couple days, Brooke."

She knows that if she were younger, she would have snapped at him for implying that she doesn't work for her company. But now, the only part of his reply she took away was his work schedule. "And what about the past four years?"

Julian's ripe and ready with a reply but it's not Brooke who stops him. "Will you please stop fighting!?"

Grace's voice is filled with tears, like the ones on her face. It cuts like a knife through Brooke's heart as she turns to see her little girl. She's in her pink, footie pajamas with a purple stuffed monkey beside her. Her fist clamps down on its tail so she can drag it behind her. Usually her thumb's stuck between her lips but now not even that can hide the big pout.

Brooke's hand goes to her chest where she's sure she can feel her heart break. "Grace.."

But she turns and runs into her room. Not sure what she's going to say, Brooke starts after her but bumps into Julian's extended arm. "Let me." He says as he walks around her and heads into the bedroom.

Face down in her pillow, Grace has flopped down on the bed, snuggling her monkey to her chest as tight as possible as the sounds of gasping cries fill the room.

"Grace." Julian walks over to the bed and sits down on the side of it. She doesn't say anything so he tries again. "..Grace." He starts to realize that he doesn't know how to comfort his own daughter. "Grace Elizabeth, you need to look up and talk to me."

She wants to scream. She wants her best friend. "I just want to go home!" She cries, voice muffled from the pillow. "Leave me alone."

He sighs, "Fine. You don't want to talk, fine. You shouldn't be awake this late."

He gets up and when he starts to go to the door, he sees Brooke standing there. For a second, he considers continuing their fight but right now it's the last thing that he wants. He just had it shoved in his face that he really didn't know how to talk to his daughter. He didn't know how to handle her at all. He looks away from Brooke and walks towards the kitchen to grab his keys. He doesn't want to be here right now.

Brooke hears the door open and shut, then lock from the outside, as she crawls into bed with her daughter. She realizes just how much she apologizes to her for fighting. Well, no more. No more fighting. No more any of it.

Grace deserves better.

As her daughter cries herself back to sleep, Brooke runs her fingers through Grace's hair and whispers, "When you wake up, it's going to change. Everything will be better. I'll be better. I promise."

She looks over at her phone and considers picking it up, but a glance at the clock tells her it's too late. "I love you," she whispers to her sweet, sleeping baby. Tomorrow it would all change.

* * *

**Please remember to review! Love it, or hate it. Just don't be cruel. Thank you!**


	12. Need You Now

**A/N:** Wow. It sure has been awhile. It has been SO MUCH LONGER than I expected and I am so sorry about that. Just so you all know, I won't take that long again. The truth is, I probably have three chapters left. Maybe four. We'll see. This chapter is quite longer than most of the other chapters, and I had to cut it short. Because of those, one of the characters I promised would be in the story, will not make her appearance until next chapter.

I also want to thank Corey for being such a huge help for me while writing this chapter. I really don't know a bigger BL fan and I don't know what I would have done without her help. My Lucas muse can be a little pain in the ass sometimes but we all know he just needs to get pushed around a little. Also-thank you to all my BL girls and a special big thank you to Angie, who keeps my BL heart beating with her videos. And to my best friend for going on vacation this weekend, leaving me so bored that I forced myself to finish this.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through all of this and all the waiting.  
This upcoming week will be really hectic but I plan on getting this updated in the next two weeks. Preferably I will have it concluded by the end of July, but we'll see how that goes. I'm moving soon so things may get a little busy around here.

Anyway, enough of my blabbing... On to the chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Need You Now**

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind._

_For me it happens all the time._

"What about this one, mama?" Grace holds up a picture from the pile they had made of memories circling the two of them.

Brooke reaches for the picture and the second she sees it, it brings a smile to her face. Her heart swells and she reaches down to pull her daughter onto her lap. Her finger points at the bump under the fallen curtains. "You were under those."

Grace giggles, and the sound fills the room. "I was?"

Nodding, Brooke cuddles her daughter a little closer. "Yep. You were in your walker, wandering around the living room, and the next second, Uncle Lucas and I hear this crash. We ran in from the kitchen and there you were, curtains draped on top of you. Uncle Lucas took a picture and when I lifted them from you, you were just smiling away." She kisses the top of Grace's head, nuzzling against the soft strands. "You were so pleased with yourself."

"I think I just didn't like them, mama." She says matter-of-factly.

There's another laugh, "I think you're right." Brooke stares at the picture a moment longer. How had time gone by so quickly? It felt like she had just been in the hospital, giving birth to her beautiful girl, and now she is already four years old.

Grace holds up another picture. "Who's this?"

Brooke takes the picture and then looks at her daughter. "You know who that is, Gracie. It's your Aunt Peyton, Penny's mom."

"It is?" She examines the picture again and her face scrunches up. "She looks different then the pictures I've seen her."

"Well this was back in high school." Brooke explains. "Mommy and Aunt Peyton were both really young." This picture had been taken when they were just freshman. Brooke had loved taking pictures of every one of her memories. The two had been sitting on the beach in this one, big, ice cream covered smiles on their faces.

It was back when nothing else in the world mattered.

"Was she your best friend?" Grace asks.

Brooke simply nods.

Another curious expression covered the little girl's face. "But I thought Aunt Haley was your best friend?"

Mother looks at daughter as she pulls herself from her memories. At the end of the week, Peyton will have been gone for five years. The same day was synonymous with the birth of her beautiful, sometimes off beat, daughter.

Brooke lets Grace hold the pictures and curls both arms around her daughter's waist, holding the little girl against her chest. "She is. You can have more than one best friend." She explains. "See, Aunt Peyton and mommy grew up together. She was my very best childhood friend. Aunt Haley is my grown up friend."

It seems like the thought of that confuses her and she shakes her head. "Does that mean when I grow up I have to stop being friends with Penny?"

She laughs, "No, baby. That's just how it worked for me. Aunt Peyton and I grew up together because we needed each other. She was there to teach me things, I was there to teach her things. We were inseparable but as we grew older, we grew apart. I still think of her as a friend though, and I still love her." Peyton had meant so much to her that she would never hate her. At one time, she had been sure she could hate her forever.

Things change as you grow up.

"And you love Aunt Haley too, right?" Grace asks, almost so she can just make sure. She loves her Aunt Haley so much that she just wants to make sure her mama does too.

Brooke smiles, "Very much."

"And Uncle Lucas too, right?" It's the tenth time that Grace has mentioned Lucas in the last fifteen minutes. It's obvious to Brooke where the little girl's mind is. When she's not talking about him and Penny, she's talking about being at home or playing with Jamie and her Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan.

Three weeks had passed slowly since the night that Brooke promised her little girl that everything would be better. Since then, she and Julian haven't had a single fight. That's not to say they've been getting along. Julian was working on set and by the time he got home, Brooke was usually sleeping.

Truth be told, Brooke misses home too. She had come here so that Grace could spend time with her father but how was that going to work when he was never around? She kisses the top of Grace's head and lets out a small sigh. Instead of answering the question, she hands Grace another picture; this one from the day she was born.

In permanent marker along the bottom of the polaroid read: Grace Elizabeth. Lucas was beside the hospital bed, leaning over with a dopey smile on his face and happy tears in his eyes. "Uncle Lucas was always there for us. Of course I love him too."

Grace considers this for a moment and then looks up, dark whispy strands of hair across her face. "But do you _love_ him?"

"Gracie.."

Undeterred, the little girl continues, "Because sometimes, cause Penny doesn't have a mama, and cause daddy's always making movies, we pretend that you and Uncle Lucas are our mama and daddy."

This hits right in her heart. "I-" But her thought is left unfinished as the front door opens and Julian steps foot into the house.

"Where's my favorite girl?" He asked, stuffing his keys into his jeans pocket.

With that, Grace jumps up, leaving the picture behind and she runs over to him. Brooke watches as he scoops her up in his arms, but the ache in her chest is still there. She tries to breathe around it as she listens to the two talking with each other. In the mean time, she collects up the pictures and puts all those memories back in the box. She's been so strong for so long but the edges are frayed and she just needs to clear her head.

She rises from the floor and slips into a pair of heals. "Can you watch her for a little bit? I have to stop by and check on the store." What she doesn't realize is that she really just wants to see her mother.

Julian looks up and nods. He may be oblivious sometimes but he's not stupid. He and Brooke have barely spoken to each other in weeks. "Sure. I'll take her to set with me."

"Thanks." Brooke slips into a pair of heals she had by the door and grabs her purse. Before leaving, she gives Grace a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, baby. I'll be back soon." She promises. No other words are shared with Julian as she takes her car keys and steps out.

On the other side of the now closed door, Brooke pulls her cell phone out of her pocket. She scrolls through the list of names and stops when she sees Lucas's name. Her finger hovers to hit the talk button but instead, she puts the phone back. What would she even say to Lucas? They'd been down that road before..

* * *

Haley scrolls through her cell phone to see if she's gotten any more texts, but her inbox is empty. No texts. No phone calls. She shakes a head full of wavy hair and looks over at the dark haired man who she likes to call her husband. The smile crosses her face as she watches him.

Nathan has Brian on his knees. The baby's hands are curled in little fists around his father's index fingers as he's bounced. The movements and sounds that Nathan make bring a huge grin on his face and the most intoxicating baby laugh.

Laughing, Nathan bounces his knee again and makes a _ba-boom_ sound, which brings another laugh.

Seeing this puts an even wider smile on Haley's face.

She walks over to the chair her husband and son are occupying and she puts her arms around Nathan's shoulders. "Are you boys having fun?" She asks. Brian's eyes light up when he spots his mother and he starts mumbling, _ma ma ma ma ma!_ "What is it, mister?" She asks as she leans forward and kisses his chubby cheek.

Nathan has always loved seeing Haley with their children. She was an incredible mother. It warms a part of him to know that she has been the love of his life since he was nothing more than a rebellious and abnoxious teenager, and that she would stay that eternal love until the end of time. But Nathan also knows his wife well and leans back. He doesn't look at her, keeping his eyes on their son, and he says, "Are you going to try and convince me we need to push Brooke and Lucas together again?"

When he finally rolls his head back, she puts her hand on the side of his face and pushes it away. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" Nathan laughs.

Two fists go to her hips and Haley huffs, "Like you know what I'm thinking."

"But I _do _know what you're thinking." Nathan says, and just to hammer his point home, he leans in towards Brian. "Don't we, little dude? Don't we?" Brian just coos happily and starts making bubbles on his lips, which sends him into another round of giggles.

Nathan laughs too.

As much as she wants to argue him on that point, the sight of her boys warms her heart. She looks towards the two of them and cocks her eyebrow, "Oh yeah? And what am I thinking right now?"

It was too easy. Nathan has to jump at this. He curls his hands around Brian's, just to make sure that the little boy doesn't jerk to the side and fall back while he isn't looking. Nathan grins at his wife and the words come out like silk, "You're thinking that I should put Brian down for his nap and we should get working on baby number three.." His brows wiggle up and down suggestively until Haley's face lights up with surprise and she hits his arm.

Nathan was always going to be the one woman for him, no matter what happened or where his life took him. They were meant to be together.

Once her laughter dies down, he watches her face and knows she still has something she's thinking. He wasn't going to be the guy who ignores his wife, so he asks, "What's on your mind? Though, I really don't think I need to ask."

He knows full well that her mind has been on her two best friends for the past two weeks. Brooke had gone to stay in California with Grace and Julian and he, well, he wasn't blind enough not to see what that did to Lucas.

He also didn't need to see or hear from Brooke to know she was feeling the exact same things. The relationship between his brother and the girl who grew into a woman who would be one of his best friends would always confound him.

Haley takes a deep breath, then lets it all go in one big sigh. "It's just.. they're our best friends, Nathan. I hate seeing them like this. Brooke's completely torn apart being away and Luke's,"

"..completely lost without her." Nathan interjects, mid-sentance.

She nods slowly in agreement.

"It just doesn't feel right that there's nothing we can do. There has to be something." Haley James Scott has a huge heart. She always had. In high school it was more centered around finding someone that made her best friend happy. The boy she played mini golf with deserved someone who could make him smile and fill his heart and mind with as many memories as any life filled with love deserved.

As she grew to learn her best friend's potential loves, she had picked her favorite. Haley had never spoken it outloud because she didn't want to sway Lucas's decision. And despite the fact that he chose to marry Peyton, secretly, Haley had always wants to see him with Brooke.

The first time she ever actually saw him in love he was looking right at Brooke Davis. She knew then that he would never look at another woman the way that he looked at her. Behind the scenes, she's always rooted for Brooke for that reason. She would make Lucas the happiest. But the years passed and they all grew from children into adults.

That's when Haley started to root for Brooke and Lucas because they seemed to complete each other, the way that she and Nathan did.

It wasn't all about drama between them. Lucas had been there for her even when Brooke had wanted to be alone and strong, and deal with things herself-even though secretly they all knew she would have wanted someone. She'd been there for him when he'd felt his heart broken. And, most important, when Lucas had chosen to marry Peyton, Haley had seen the way it broke her dark haired best friend.. she also say the way that Brooke kept that to herself.

And that's what true love was about, afterall. You want that person to be happy no matter what, even if that means being without you. Brooke had given him up because she thought he'd rather had Peyton.

What Brooke didn't know was the way that Lucas looked at her during the wedding reception.. like he'd rather be back in high school and holding a brunette with a love of red dresses against his chest.

"I think we need to just let them find their own way." Nathan says. His voice pulls Haley from her thoughts. "Whether they find their way to each other or not, it should be their choice."

Haley makes a face, "But I could make better choices for them!" Like right now. If it was Haley's choosing, Brooke would be at home because anything would be better than Julian.. and Lucas would finally admit the things that Haley's known for years.

"Babe.."

Nathan knows everything that Haley's thinking. He knows how she feels and he agrees with all of it. He's seen his brother and his best friend grow up from two teenagers who didn't really know what they were doing. And while he supported his brother in his decisions, he didn't exactly support his marriage.

He remembers how Peyton had pushed for it the moment she knew there was a possible danger with her pregnancy. From that moment, she had wanted to and insisted they get married as soon as possible. Maybe she knew something was going to go wrong and that she wouldn't survive.

Maybe she wanted to make sure she carried the Scott name before she passed on. Who knew. But Nathan did know that his brother had a beautiful, intelligent woman who was a wonderful mother right beside him.. and if he didn't take the time to appreciate her, someone else would. Hopefully it wouldn't be Julian Baker but.. someone would regardless.

"What?" Haley asks.

Brian reaches out for his mother and she easily scoops him up in her arms, giving his nose a little eskimo kiss. He laughs as she cuddles him close.

"I think you should put the boy down for his nap." Nathan puts his hands down of the chair and pushes himself up so he can walk towards his wife. With a smile perched on his lips, he pulls his shirt off and wraps it around his arms.

"Oh, I should, should I?" It's only natural. Her eyes move along the line of his body.

"Yes," Nathan says as he puts a hand on the small of her back, leans in and kisses her. "You should. I'll be in the shower." Then there's a suggestive wink and he starts to walk towards the bathroom.

Haley just smiles.

* * *

It took two years to get over the death, Lucas remembers.

With his daughter's birthday and the date of Peyton's death on the same day, there had been a conflict to begin with. Her first birthday he obviously celebrated but they'd spent most of that day at the cemetery. He hadn't realize then that he was really just angry at Peyton. He was angry that she had died, and that she'd left them. He'd gone from sad to angry in that first year, and then back to sad.

He knew why Peyton had been so insistent on them getting married when she found out there could be complications with her pregnancy. He should have done something then, though thinking back on those moments, Lucas couldn't imagine if they had ended the pregnancy and he never knew his daughter.

Penny had really brought him back to life so many times since the moment she was brought into the world. Smiling, Lucas looks down at his little girl who is leaning against his chest and watching an episode of Sesame Street on the television. He pets his hand down through her frizzing waves, "You want to hear something crazy?" He asks.

The little girl had been so immersed in the world of the puppets that she always didn't remember she was laying on her father until he spoke, but she exuberantly started nodding. "Yeah, tell me!"

He nods up at the television and grins, "My mom used to let me watch this when I was your age too."

"No way.." Penny says in disbelief.

Lucas nods, "It's true."

From the recliner just a few feet away from the couch, Karen Roe leans forward and places her hands against her knees. "Your daddy used to love watching Sesame Street. Snuffleupagus was his favorite," she remembers. It doesn't feel like that long ago she was sitting in the living room with her own five year old laying his head on her lap and watching the muppets. To be honest, it makes her heart ache slightly. She has Lily but seeing her son with his daughter the way she had been with her own child was amazing.

Penny perks up immediately, eyes going wide. "No WAY!" She exclaims again. "Snuffle-gup-a-lus is my favorite too!"

"You're a lot like your daddy." Karen says with a laugh as she looks at her grand-daughter.

"What about my mommy?" Penny turns curious eyes to her grandmother.

She knows that if she asks her father, he'll be honest with her. But to her, though hearing that her mother loved her was one thing that she would always hold close to her heart, it was the people who raised her, the ones who kissed her goodnight and hugged her when she was scared, they were her family.

Karen raises her eyes to Lucas who moves his hand to rub his daughter's back gently. "What about your mother?" She asks.

Penny hesitates for a minute as she thinks about it. To be fair, she used to always want to know about her mother. She wanted to know what she looked like, how she acted, what she liked.. She felt like she needed to be like her, but in the end, there was a thin line between the person you thought you needed to be and the one you felt you truly were in your heart.

She looks up at Lucas and then back at her grandmother. Even though her dad smiles at her, it's not the same kind of smile he used to have. Something was slightly off and she wasn't completely sure what it was, but she knew what had changed from the last time she saw that smile.

"Am I like her?" Penny asks finally.

"Well.." Always looking for the right way to say things, Karen considers for a moment and then nods. "In some ways. I didn't know your mother that well, but I did know that she loved you indefinitely."

Was it wrong that that didn't feel like enough?

Lucas, seeing the look his mother gave him, adjusted his position and sat up on the couch so he could see his daughter more clearly. "You're creative, like her. And you get your hair from her."

A laugh catches his attention and he looks at his mother, whose face reddens. "Actually Luke, if you don't remember, I have some pretty unflattering pictures of you with some curls in my scrap books."

He groans, "I thought I told you to burn those."

"You did." She says, still chuckling, "But you couldn't expect me to actually get rid of them."

Penny snuggles against Lucas's chest and he puts his arm around her protectively. "Why do you ask, sweetheart?"

She considers for a minute.

It was that time of year again. Her birthday was a couple days away, and that meant her visit to the cemetery was coming soon. She hated going to the cemetary but it was the only place she knew to visit her mom. Sure she had her mother's house where she grew up when she was little, and there was the ex-club Tric that had closed years ago, but they didn't feel like the right place.

Shrugging her shoulders, Penny looks at the television but only barely pays attention to it. "I guess I wanted to be like Aunt Brooke when I grew up. Can I still be like Aunt Brooke even if I'm like my mom?"

To her, Brooke was this incredibly rich and famous woman who didn't let that fame get to her head. She didn't let her company dictate her life, no. She dictated her company. Penny remembers hearing stories about how when work got in the way of life and love, Brooke had found a way to change the company and make it work for her. She had fame, sure, but she had family. And to her Aunt Brooke, family always mattered more.

Lucas raises his eyes and looks over at his mother for just a moment. He doesn't know what to say though. Did he defend Peyton and remind his daughter of all the achievements her mother had?

Instead, he leans in and kisses the top of her head. "Of course, baby. No matter who you want to be, Penny, you're going to end up being a very smart and successful woman." He promises her.

Hearing those words make her smile. She throws her arms around Lucas and snuggles him close. His hand rubs along her back gently and he raises his eyes to look over at his mother.

Life had to be so hard for her when she was raising him. She had done it on her own. Though, technically, she hadn't really been alone at all, had she? Even if Keith hadn't been his father, he'd always been there.. and even now, despite genetics, he still thought of Keith as his father. He wonders if maybe that's how his own daughter saw Brooke. Maybe she wants Penny's mother by DNA, but she's been there every step of the way. She's loved that little girl, tucked her in bed, made her breakfast, soothed her when she's cried...

It's been Brooke all along. Why hasn't he seen that before?

* * *

Victoria Davis lifted her slender wrist so she could look at the brand new, diamond encrusted watch she'd purchased the day before. She was running early, like always, and figured she could stop for a cup of Starbucks. Despite her new diet, she figured the calories wouldn't count if no one saw her drinking it.

She sips the steaming liquid as her heals echo on the sidewalk as she heads towards the large _Clothes Over Bros_ shop that she had been in charge of for almost four years now. It was a very successful shop and she loved living in California more than she'd thought she would.

She smiles and lets her eyes follow the bare chested body of a twenty something surfer with blond hair and a body that was made for touching. With the keys to the shop in her hand, hovering over the lock, she watches him turn to look back at her.

Good. She still has it.

Her brow perks at him as she pushes the key in and unlocks the door, disappearing inside. California was definitely the right place for her. But she stops at the door once it's closed behind her as she looks in at her daughter who is laying on the floor. "This again?" She asks, dropping her keys into her purse and the purse on the floor beside the entrance.

Brooke turns her head to the side to look up at her mother. "It just felt right."

Shaking her head full of brunette locks, Victoria puts her Starbucks down and crosses her arms over her chest. She's seen her daughter like this one before. Brooke had told her back then it was because Julian had slept with another woman. Despite not having a whole lot of experience in the mothering department, Victoria had been able to see through that. It really had nothing to do with Julian being with another woman, but about being the woman that the man you wanted didn't choose.

It had broken her heart, and Victoria had been able to see it clearly.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she tilted her head up and to the side. "Well I hope you don't expect me to get on the ground again. That was a once in a lifetime thing, Brooke."

Brooke makes a face and nods her head, "You **are** getting a little up there in age, _Grandma_." As much as Brooke knows her mother loves being a grandmother to Grace, she also knows her mom insists on never being called that.

Victoria's lips purse and she lets out a sigh of defeat. "Brat." She walks over to her daughter, carefully lowers herself on the ground and lays back. She stares up at the ceiling and the darkened lights, hands against her stomach. Her shoulders shift uncomfortably.

Noticing this, Brooke chuckles, "Come on, mom. It's not like this is the first time you've had your back on this ground." Realizing the meaning of what she's said, Brooke makes a face. "_Ew_, by the way."

Her mother laughs to herself and then turns her head to the side. "If I would have known you'd be here, I would have brought you some Starbucks too."

"It's okay. I'm not really in the mood for coffee anyway." She says with a small shake of her head, eyes still focusing on the rafters above the store.

Victoria perks her brow, "Are you ill? Brooke, I said _Starbucks._ There isn't a problem in this world that Starbucks can't fix."

A half smile appears on Brooke's face but it doesn't reach her eyes. All she can think of is how unhappy she is here, and how badly she just wants to call Lucas. She hasn't gone this long without talking to him in years. It feels like part of her is missing, and she's starting to see that Grace feels that way too.

So then why is it so difficult to call him? Why is it so hard to tell him how she feels?

It's obvious what Brooke is thinking. Victoria can see it written all over her daughter's face. She reaches over and places her hand on top of her daughter's. "Brooke, you are a smart, successful, beautiful woman, an amazing mother and a confidant business owner.. Will you stop being such an idiot?"

That catches her off guard.

Brooke looks up, "What?"

"Just call him." She had a lot to do with why Brooke hadn't followed her heart once upon a time, more than she wanted to admit, but she wasn't going to do that anymore.

A confused look crosses Brooke's face. "Julian's on set with Grace."

Victoria gives her hand a little squeeze. "I'm not talking about Julian and you know it."

"_Oh, mom_." Brooke huffs, her eyes closing slightly. "Don't even go there." How had her mother know what was on her mind? She leans up on her elbows, stuttering through the beginning of a sentence that Victoria easily cut into.

"Tell me you aren't thinking about that boy and I won't." Turning onto her side, Victoria put her elbow on the hardwood floors and held her head up as she eyed her daughter, waiting for something she knew was never going to come.

After Brooke remained silent, Victoria continues, "You told me once that he was the only boy you would have given everything up for. Your line, the business, all your fame, all of it. Do you remember?"

Of course she remembers.

Lucas and Peyton had just broken up when she met him at the restaurant. Seeing that smile on his face when he spotted her stepping through the crowd had warmed every part of her. All the years of work and distance, all the time of being alone and secretly heart broken were washed away. They hugged and it felt like old times.

The two had spent the night together and when he had showed her the ring and how he had proposed to Peyton, her breath had caught in her throat. It felt like her whole world shifted. Peyton had said no and Brooke couldn't understand why, because the moment she saw him down on one knee, she could only imagine that he meant to propose to her.

She remembers thinking how she would have jumped out of the couch and threw her arms around his neck, sending the two tumbling to the ground. There wasn't a single part of her that would have thought no.

But the ring hadn't been for her, neither had the proposal.

They'd had a good amount to drink and Brooke had planned on just helping him into bed before getting herself a glass of water and two very big aspirin to start fighting the massive headache she was sure she'd have in the morning. But he touched her skin and her world stopped spinning. He looked at her, those stunning blue eyes hypnotised her and nothing else mattered.

Then he pulled her close, whispered that she could stay and he kissed her.. her heart stopped. Or maybe it came to life again.

She never told him but she had wanted to stay. Even though they had made up a future together in those few seconds on the carriage, she had thought about that future before. How else could she have said it so easily? She dreamed about those children. A little boy who would be just like his father, with a gray hoodie and a basketball in his hand.. another who always had his nose in a book and a pen in his hand.. and then a daughter in a little cheer leading costume who just lit up the moment her father walked in the room. But all the dreaming of them didn't make them as real as they felt when she and Lucas spoke of them that night.

For just a second, it all felt real. She fell into that kiss with Lucas and could practically hear little feet sneaking through the halls for a late night snack.

Then reality came crashing down on her and she had to pull back. He had just been turned down by Peyton. He probably just needed to be comforted. He couldn't want anything more, so she got herself out of there as quickly as she could, knowing she wouldn't see him again for a long time. She would need that time away.

Brooke was used to putting her nose to the grind stone with work to keep her mind off of the aching in her chest when she thought about never getting that future with him.

For a minute, Brooke forgot that she was with her mother until the older woman gives her hand another light squeeze. "Yes." She finally says. "I remember. But that was a long time ago."

"Feelings like that don't just disappear, Brooke. Love like that, true love, it doesn't happen every day. And if you still feel that way, then you need to chase after it with everything you have inside of you. I let you give up on finding it once, but I'm not going to sit by and watch you let it pass you again."

"But mom-"

"No, Brooke. No excuses." Victoria puts her hand down on the floor and pushes herself up, bending her legs at her side to keep her pencil skirt straight against her legs. She gives Brooke a little tug and brings her up to sit in front of her. "Do you love him?"

Brooke's heart jumps in her throat, her stomach tightens and she has to look away. She can't answer that! "Mom.."

"Do you love him?" She asks again, enunciating each word slowly.

Instead of answering, Brooke starts to ramble. "I don't even know how he feels. And even if he had any kind of feelings, we have the girls to think about."

"Those girls want you two together more than anyone." Victoria has seen Penny and Grace together. She's heard them when they were all together. They were a family. In her eyes, her daughter and that Scott boy just needed to let themselves have it.

"And what about Peyton?"

Victoria doesn't hold back the chuckle, "Are you really worried about hurting your dead ex-best friend's feelings?" She lets Brooke think about that for a second before reaching up to cup her hand along her daughter's cheek. "The Brooke Davis I know managed to take a dream she had as a child and make it come true. The Brooke Davis I know raised a beautiful daughter on her own and always puts the rest of the world before herself. The Brooke Davis I know somehow managed to live through everything I've done to her and still carry herself with dignity and poise. That Brooke Davis deserves to be happy. She deserves love."

Tears cloud her vision, and again she asks. "Do you love him?"

Brooke blinks long lashes and a few drops trickle down her cheek. She feels her mother run her thumb along them to dry them and she thinks about that question. But she doesn't need to think about it. Her eyes widen ever so slightly, she swallows back the butterflies and as another teardrop rolls down her cheek, she nods, slowly at first, then a little quicker. "Yes."

It's been years since she's admitted that out loud. Now that she's said it, it feels like she can finally breathe again. "Yes," she repeats in a whisper, "I do. I love him."

Victoria can finally smile, "Then tell him."

Sniffling, Brooke leans in and curls her arms around her mother.

* * *

"So are you going to tell me what's on your mind, or are you going to get me a fourth cup of tea if I ask?" Karen questions. Every time she's mentioned her son's life, he's always made a quick escape and filled up her glass. She was sure she was going to explode if she had any more lemonade.

Lucas takes a breath and slowly lets it out as he leans back in his chair. He's just gotten back from putting Penny down for her after lunch nap, which means he can't use her as an excuse to not talk about what was going on.

In truth, he wasn't even sure how to explain it.

He felt like he's being punched in the chest every time he remembers that Brooke is on the other side of the country with a man who didn't appreciate her or their daughter. Julian wasn't really a bad guy but he definitely didn't deserve to have Brooke beside him. He wonders what they're doing now. Is she over there having a great time with him? Is he holding her right now, kissing her and telling her he loves her?

What if he convinces her to stay? Could Lucas even manage to survive without her around? Over the years, he found that he relies on her more than he should but it's just because he needs to have her close. Ever since they were just two teenagers who found each other through the mess that is high school, he's known that she would change his whole world.

And she has.

And it scares the hell out of him to think that he could lose her again.

"It's complicated." He says simply as he reaches for his glass. His fingers are slick against the condensation on the outside of the glass. He almost drops it but recovers and gives his mom, who jumped a little when he almost dropped it, a glance. With a half-smile, he brings the glass to his lips and takes a sip. "How's my sister doing?"

Karen knows exactly what he's doing. She's seen him act like this before, many times. From the messy haired little boy who didn't want to tell his mother that he made a mess in the kitchen, to the young teenager who worried about telling her about the Ravens..

He should know by now, Karen thought, that his mother didn't give in that easily.

"Lily's well. She and Andy are flying in Friday night for the weekend, so you'll see her then." She's so proud of her little girl, who's getting so big now. It isn't her daughter that she's worried about right now. In all honesty, Haley may have mentioned a few things to her on the phone before she came into town. She wanted to wait for Lucas to say something but it looks like he's not about to initiate that particular conversation.

"Lucas.."

He puts his hands on his knees and pushes himself up. "I should go check on Penny, make sure she's okay."

As he starts to walk, Karen extends her hand and curls her fingers around her wrist. "Lucas Scott, leave that little girl alone. She's fine. Sit down and talk to me."

Lucas looks at his mother and he can think of a few more excuses. He can go cook something, or work on his novel, do some laundry even or clean up the living room.. but he's seen that look on his mother's face before.

Even if he's a grown man now, there's still nothing much like that look a mother can give you.

So he walks back to the couch and sits down. As thoughts fill his head, he wonders where he would even start. He runs his hand over the top of his head and then leans back against the cushion. "I don't know what you want me to say, mom." He finally mumbles.

"Well," Karen was nothing if not patient. "Why don't you start with why Haley is so worried about you?"

"She's just a worrier." But that's not completely true.

Haley is his best friend and he knows that she's only worried because she knows him so well. She knows that when he says '_I'm fine_' what he's really saying is '_I miss Brooke_.' And he does. He keeps looking at the door, expecting to see her smile walking into the house. He hadn't realized how much he missed the little things, like how she would walk by him and give his arm a little squeeze when they were playing with the kids. Or how she looked when they were holding their children and whispering their conversation so they didn't wake the girls.

And he missed her taking pictures of their children playing so that at the end of the night, she could print them out and add them to one of the many photo albums she kept.

When he would give her a drink and lean against the counter to look at the pictures, she would tell him that she just wanted to remember every second of it. But it wasn't always about them with the girls. It was the nights they spent alone on the back porch until they were both exhausted. Talking for hours on end, leaving him with a head full of inspiration that was so immense, he couldn't do anything but start writing once she went home.

"It's okay to miss her." Karen says when she sees the clouds that fill his eyes. She knows that his head is somewhere else, and she's fairly certain she knows why he looks that way and just where his mind went.

Lucas looks up.

It's actually exactly what he needed to hear. Instead of brushing it off, he decides to give in. He's had so many good conversations with his mother that this may be exactly what he needs.

"I just want her to come back." He says, letting his guard down. "It's not the same without her." It's probably the most honest he's been since she left. He can still remember exactly how it felt to have her walk away from him, watch her get in the car with Julian, letting him drive away with half of his heart.

Karen nods slowly. She's actually seen her son look like this before. Strangely enough, it was about the same woman. "What did she say when you told her that?"

Lucas just looks down at his lap, "Well.."

She leans forward and crosses her arms, leaning them against her lap. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Technically?"

"Lucas.."

He turns his head to the side when he sees his mother rise from the chair and move towards him. She sits down beside him and he feels instantly comforted by the hand she places on his back. "I know. I should have said something, I just.." He leans forward and hangs his head, "I clam up every time I try to call her. I think of her over there with Julian and it makes me feel so.."

"Empty?" She supplies.

Lucas nods. "What if she never comes back, mom? What am I supposed to do?"

He had never been okay with the idea of being without Brooke Davis. He'd even gone as far as to convince his mother to let her have his room instead of moving with her parents to California. And the night of the graduation party, it was her house that she had gone to after they had all left the Rivercourt.

He knocked on that familiar red door and when she answered with red eyes, he knew she'd been crying. He didn't say anything and she didn't have to. He just opened his arms and she stepped into them. They stood on the front step for what felt like forever, just holding on to each other. All he could think of was that she was going to leave, make it big, and he wouldn't see her.

The thought had made him sick to his stomach. Two years had changed Brooke Davis, but it had also changed him. When they were together, it was like he really knew who he wanted to be. He knew everything he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. She helped him find his way, giving him direction without even knowing she was doing it.

He walked her down to the beach that night, put out a blanket and the two sat for hours, talking about the future. She told him all her big plans, and he told her his. They laughed and reminisced, and when it got cold, he made a small fire. As the night sky lightened towards morning and the stars started to hide, he realized that he'd drifted off and when he came to, she was laying beside him. He had his arm around her waist, holding her close to him. The ashes of the fire had finished smoking and he remembered looking at her peaceful face.

_"Good morning, pretty girl." he whispered_.

Her stomach rose and fell lightly with each breath and he felt content. Leaning in, he pressed his lips against her forehead. She let out a little moan and turned her face into his chest. That simple motion made him wish she was staying. He could change his whole world but he wanted her to find happiness and fulfill her every dream. He couldn't ask her to stay and give all of that up. So he never did say anything.

He let her leave, and part of him always regretted that, and always would.

"I don't want to lose her, mom." He admits, feeling that emptiness in his chest start to ache again. Nothing compared to the loneliness he felt when he had to watch her walk away, something he's seen too many times in his life.

Karen presses her lips together and rubs her son's back again. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, Lucas. You always find a way to make the right decision in the end, but I do want you to know that if you don't want to lose her, then you need to do everything in your power to make sure that you don't." Even though it's been years, her chest still tightens when she thinks of Keith, a boy who grew into a man who would be the love of her life, then gone without a chance to say goodbye. "I spent years being friends with Keith, and while I don't regret a second of it, I'll always wonder how things would be different if we had taken that chance together sooner."

Reaching up, Karen touches his cheek with one hand and kisses the opposite one. "I want you to be happy, Lucas."

"She makes me happy." He tells his mother, feeling the truth glowing inside his heart, radiating from his chest. "She's everything. I never appreciated it before, wasn't even sure what would happen if I told her." It wasn't about _needing_ Brooke. He knew he could survive without her. He knew that he could wake up every day and find a way to make it through his life if she didn't want him. Need was such a crude thing. He _needed_ to breathe. He _needed_ food and water. They were necessities. For Lucas, Brooke was something so much more than that. He _wants_ her. He _wants _to share his world with her. He _wants_ to wake up every day and see her beautiful face smiling back at him.

At first he was afraid that his feelings were only there because she helped him and his daughter so many times.. but that wasn't true. Brooke has always been there.

So have these feelings.

Karen smiles when she hears this. She knew there was something in the way that her son looked that told her he just needed a little push. "Sometimes the risk is worth it."

Lucas nods. "Brooke is definitely worth it." He starts to feel better already. He leans in and kisses his mother's cheek before rising from the couch. "Can you excuse me for a second? I have something I need to do."

Laughing, Karen nods and watches him rush into the other room.

The first thing Lucas grabs is his laptop.

* * *

**Again, thank you guys so much for being patient with me. Additionally, can I just say how much I love Victoria? Lucas-muse was being a pain in the butt so I worked on that Brooke/Victoria scene and she just amused the hell out of me.**

I hope you all liked it. Please review, and if there's anything you want to see happen, any memory you want me to write (etc), feel free to PM me. I'll be happy to listen. Love you guys :)

**Rosie**


	13. I'll Be Waiting

**Author's Note: **Okay so I realize that I kept you guys waiting for this for quite awhile and I do apologize for that. Honestly. I have full intentions on finishing this story. In fact, we're almost there. I have two more chapters after this one followed by a little something extra. I blame work, life and a general disheartening in the Brucas department, especially with everything going on. Sometimes it's hard for me to go into the SWAY world and remember that when I come out, it won't be real. But I do promise that this story will be finished. I'm going to work a little more of the next chapter today and I think there's a chance I'll have it up today as well. I have some exciting things in this upcoming chapter. Thank you to everyone to hanging in there with me and enjoying the life of Brucas that should have been.

Please remember to review and keep an eye open for that next chapter. Love you guys!

* * *

**I'll Be Waiting**

_I'm the one who really loves you baby_

_I can't take it anymore_

Julian Baker stands at just an inch shy of six feet tall and tends to blend in with the crowd. However, years of practice has taught him just how to command an entire room. It is needed in his line of work. With frantic actors in front of the camera, script supervisors, PAs, ocassionally his father, all trying to get the soap box, you needed to be able to call attention to the room.

Standing up, he clapped his hands together once and then cupped them around his mouth. "Everyone but Todd and Evelyn are excused. Get off my set!"

It's such a headache to make sure the take isn't spoiled, and with everyone around, he was sure it would be trashed. So he had to act. As people started to groan and shuffle around, he knew it would take a few more minutes before they were all gone. One of the producers walked up to him but he just held a hand up, "Not now, Frank. Go home. We'll talk in the morning." It was such a mess right now. The movie wasn't coming together the way that he had seen it originally.

Todd and Evelyn's characters were supposed to be this couple in love who were just reunited after years of being apart, but their passion wasn't there. Well, to clarify, _passion_ for making out was there, but it was love that they were supposed to be protraying.. not just horny twenty-something's.

Once the footsteps retreat, he pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to alleviate the headache he had forming. Not a second passed before he felt a little tug on his shirt. Moving his hand, he looks down at the little girl that he'd almost forgotten had been on set with him. "Hey princess." He says as he leans down to scoop her up into his arms. He wraps his arms around her and sets her on his lap. "I'm sorry it got so busy. Are you having fun with Mary?"

Mary Sullivan was the name of Julian's personal assistant. She was relatively new, and very sweet. And, as he was learning, incredibly good with children. At least she was with Grace. He looked up to see where she was sitting on the ground with an open coloring book in front of her. The light catches the blond highlights in her chestnut hair. He smiles and waves at her.

Then he turns his attention back on his daughter as she cuddles into his chest and nods. "She's fun. We colored and played cards and hide and seek."

He smirked, "I'll have to give her a raise for taking such good care of my girl."

Having moved up from the ground, the book closed and crayons put back in their box, Mary walks over to them. "I'll hold you to that," She says with a laugh. "It was my pleasure. You have a really smart daughter, Mr. Baker, you know that?" She reached over and tapped her finger against Grace's nose, causing the little girl to giggle and hide it in Julian's shirt.

He chuckles as he rubs her back. "Yeah, I lucked out with this one." And he really did. Julian knew that. He also knew that he was never around like he should be. Thanks to the past couple of weeks, he spent a lot of time wondering how things would have been different if he never chased after his dream and become a director. Would he still be sitting back in North Carolina, bored out of his mind? Would he and Brooke be on better terms, or had they been destined to have such a hard time trying to fit things together?

The yawn from his little girl made him look down. "You sleepy?" Despite some of his worse moments, he loved Grace and he loved being her father. He just made mistakes when it came to his family. He had to or he would have never gotten to chase his dream. He had to make a choice and his dream wouldn't wait around for him forever. Maybe he was learning that his girls wouldn't either.

Grace nods and looks up at Julian. "Can we go home yet?"

"I have to finish working, sweetheart." He says as he looks up at the set where Todd and Evelyn made themselves at home in the bed on set. He groans but doesn't say anything. It was useless at this point.

"_Then_ can we go home?" Her voice is a little insistant, urgently needing somewhere more familiar.

He lets out a breath and looks up at Mary. "If you ask nicely, maybe Mary will take you back home while daddy finishes up?"

It was an easy nod for Mary. She adored the little time they've spent together. Grace is a sweet little girl and Julian was a good father. She smiles and then crouches down so she's beside Julian's director chair and eye level with the little brunette. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Grace looks between the two of them before she finds a little huff on her face. "_No_, daddy! I want to go _home_. I want to see Penny and Uncle Lucas." She hasn't been away from home this long before and the little girl was at the end of her rope. No more. She wants to go home. She wants to sleep in her own bed, play in her own town, see her own family. Despite being young, she knew her mother wants to be back home as well. She wants to see her mom smile again the way she used to.

It's a sigh that escapes from Julian's lips. "Lucas Scott. Again." He shakes his head. He's heard about Lucas for far too long. He wasn't all that great. He broke up with two women, one who Julian himself had been in love with, and then he plays the single father card and gets Brooke to be all over him. Now he has to hear it from his daughter too? Some frustration builds up in his throat and he growls, "What is it about Lucas Scott? He's not your father, Grace. He's nobody."

She jumps a little, but just like her strong willed mother, spoke out like a tiger that had been backed into a corner. "I love him!" She yells at Julian. "I know he's not my dad, but he's always there." She looks up at Mary then and puts her arms up to be picked up.

Mary hesitates for a moment, green eyes turning towards Julian for a moment before he nods. Once she got the okay, she takes Grace up in her arms and watches Julian lean forward like he's just been kicked. "Do you want me to take-"

Julian doesn't let her get all the way through her question before he speaks, "Yeah. Just take her back to the loft. Brooke should be there." He clasps his hands in front of his mouth and considers what Grace had said. She loved Lucas..

He wonders if his little girl is the only one who loves him... or has he been blind all this time?

It's been awhile since Lucas was waiting at an airport. He had the oppurtunity to travel when it came to his novel, An Unkindness of Ravens. It hadn't been exactly the experience he had been hoping for but he was raised to appreciate all the moments in his life. That's why it was so surprising for Lucas not so long ago when Brooke had asked him if he would do things differently and that's exactly what had come to his mind. He hadn't appreciated a lot of thing, including her, sometimes taking her for granted.

Sitting now in the middle of a crowded airport, he realized that he'd done it again.

Lucas always knew that Brooke was there for him. She'd been there for both he and his young daughter, and he wondered how he could have been so blind for so long. It was the image now of her spending the rest of her life in another man's arms that really chilled his bones. Sharing a family with someone else who didn't appreciate her the way he should.

The knot in Lucas's stomach clenched so tightly that he felt a little sick. He hadn't even figured out what he was going to say yet. As a writer, he felt shameful that he couldn't find the right words. But they were out there and he just needed to pluck them from the great speeches tree.

He looks up at the group of women surrounding him and a smile forms on his lips, "She's always been there." He adds to his story. "And I didn't even realize it but now that I have, I want us to start our lives together. I can't wait another second."

"That's so romantic," one of the young girls swoons.

The elderly woman on her left held her hand against her chest. "You sound so much like my Eddie." Her arm goes around the girl's shoulders. "Your grandfather came after me too, you know."

It was a middle aged blonde that seemed to be the jaded one. "How do you know she even wants to be with you? You said she's been dating that other guy, the father of her daughter, right?"

Lucas nods, "Julian."

It was the older woman, holding her young granddaughter, that interjected under her breath, "I never liked that name."

"Yeah," Lucas says, turning to the blonde. "Sure she's been with him but he's never treated her right."

"It doesn't sound like you've treated her right either."

Ah, Lucas thought. The instigator. Every good story had one.

Despite the angry look the blonde got from the grandmother and her granddaughter, Lucas didn't have to feel the same way. "No, I didn't. You're right. I messed up when it came to Brooke. A lot." For a moment, his mind flashed back over the past few years. He thought of what once was a fun seeking teen girl in the back of his car and how she became a mature, responsible woman. He'd been a part of that ride from the beginning.

"I can't live without her." He adds a moment later.

The blonde hadn't finished yet though and pushes, "But how do you _know_?"

The smirk twitches his lips, and the first thing to come to his mind was the same thing he'd said the first time he'd been asked that same question. "The heart has reasons that reason cannot know." Thinking of making the destiny shot that night on the Rivercourt with Rachel reminded him of all the things they had been through since they were young. Both impetuous and prone to mistakes, but their hearts had been in the right place.. at least up until the horrible night he found himself uttering the words that he wasn't the guy for her. How stupid he had been back then. "I feel it. I think I've always felt it but it was easier to hide from it then face the intensity of it full force. Sometimes love hits you like a wave from the ocean and it's so immense that you're afraid of what will come of you once you let it consume you." He pauses for just a moment and looks down in his hand. Resting there is a necklace she had given him. He thought he had lost it once but when he found it in his closet, just like his feelings for her, he had begun to realize had always been there. He just had to find them again. "I'm not afraid anymore. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want her. I want to be a family with her and our daughters."

The smile easily crosses his face as his fingers close around the necklace to hold it tightly in his palm. "She's the one. She always has been."

"Well good for you," The old woman says as she leans over and gives his hand a little squeeze. "If this girl is as smart as you say she is, then I'm sure she'll see how much you love her."

"I hope so." He says in a small breath.

It isn't until now that he could feel how quickly his heart is racing. He knows there's a chance that Brooke will tell him she doesn't feel the same way about him anymore, but knowing there's a tiny chance, no matter how small, that she may return those feelings was worth the risk. "But I'll do whatever it takes. I lost her before because I was young and stupid. I made my mistakes but in the end, it's always been Brooke Davis."

And it absolutely had been. Since high school, it's been her. He'd messed up but he'd be damned that he'd lose her again.

It's then that the blonde perks up once more, "Wait. Did you say Brooke Davis?"

He nods.

"As in clothes designer and fashion guru Brooke Davis?" Her excitement mounts with each passing second.

Lucas nods again.

Finally interested, she leans in, elbows on her knees, and stares at him with excitement in her eyes. "Okay, this just got good." As a fashion fan, she now realizes who the _Julian_ is. "Start again from the beginning."

The sound of heals clicking against the marble floor filled the hallway. Brooke Davis reached up to tug her hair over her shoulders. Her fingertips curled around the tips nervously as she pressed the button for the elevator. Normally she wasn't a fan of them but after spending an afternoon with her mother, her feet were kind of aching and she just wanted to get upstairs and slip out of them. There was nothing that could complete her day then a good night of snuggling with her favorite person in the world.

A short ride later, she was walking into Julian's loft. She thought of the plain door that she pushed open and how she missed the red one she had back home. It wasn't entirely the color of the door she missed, but that was pretty obvious.

Pushing the door open, Brooke stepped inside and immediately walked out of her heals. "Gracie. Sweetheart, mommy's home." She called out, expecting to hear the pitter patter of little foot steps running after her.

i_"Gracie, baby! Mommy's home!" _

_A younger Brooke Davis walked into the familiar house of her best friend and former lover. She looked around to see a few stuffed animals strewn across the hallway. The toy box was left open and looked like it had vomited up toys all over the carpet. She smirked as she crouched down, careful to be ladylike and not let the skirt ride up. Grabbing the three stuffed animals, she walked them over to the toy box and placed them on top. She could straighten up some more later. She had full plans of talking Lucas into cooking them all some dinner in exchange for a house clean. _

_The sound of sniffling caught her attention and she turned. A few steps led her down the hallway and to the opening of the playroom that used to be Karen's bedroom. She leaned against the door and her eyes rest on the image of Lucas sitting on a child size couch with a sniffling Penny in front of him. Grace sat vigilantly beside her best friend, leaning her head against Penny's shoulder comfortingly. _

_"They said I was stupid, daddy!" Penny cried, her little face wrinkled up with tears. "And they wouldn't play with me. And they ran away from me when I tried to talk to them." Her sobs were breaking Brooke's heart. _

_Lucas reached his hand out and touched the side of her face to wipe her tears. "Some kids can just be mean. And if they don't want to play with you, that's their loss. Because they're going to miss out on a really wonderful friend."_

_"No, they're not." She sobbed. "I'm stupid and ugly-"_

_His blue eyes when a little dark, hating that his daughter could even think those things. "Don't you talk like that, Penelope Sawyer, do you hear me?" He lowered off the couch to his knees so he could be eye level with her. "You are none of those horrible things. You are beautiful."_

_It warmed Brooke's heart to see Lucas father. He was so good with his little girl. And she couldn't find it in herself to keep quiet any longer. The words she spoke had been inside of her for a long time, and now seemed the best time to share them. "And brilliant." _

_Brooke's voice caught Lucas off guard and he turned his head to look in the doorway. There she stood, soft and beautiful as ever. His lips parted slightly, about to speak, as she stepped over to him. Her hand touched against his shoulder and she gave him a small smile. Then she squeezed his arm lightly before crouching down to look at Penny and finish her thought. "And brave." She added. _

_She cupped her hands over Penny's puffy face and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You're going to change the world someday, and nothing that any of those mean kids say matters. Because you have your daddy, and you have me."_

_"And me!" Grace chirped, taking a note from her mother and leaned in to peck Penny on the cheek. _

_Lucas was pleasantly humbled when he saw the smile form on his little girl's face. He stared at Brooke for a hand full of moments until he realized that he too was smiling. "Why don't you two girls play for a little while? Mo-" Did he almost say 'mommy?' "Uh." He cleared his throat and stood up, "Brooke and I will go start dinner, okay?"_

_"Okay daddy!"_

_"Okay Uncle Lucas!" _

_Grace and Penny spoke at the same time, caught a glance at each other and started giggling. Just like that the biggest broken heart in the world had been mended. Brooke stood up a moment later, "Love you girls."_

_"Love you too," they echoed, again at the same time, sending them into another fit of giggles. _

_As Brooke stepped out of the room behind Lucas, he turned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Nice line you gave her." _

_Her smile didn't faulter. "I read it in a book somewhere."_

_Chuckling, Lucas reached over and hung his arm across her shoulders, pulling her close to his chest. He kissed her temple and then led her towards the kitchen. It always seemed like things found a way to fit together when she was with him./i_

"She's asleep."

The voice that had Brooke jumping came from a woman that she had met a few times. She was Julian's personal assistant, Mary. Mary was actually a really nice person. She had pretty too, and she had the type of healthy physique that Brooke liked to see on girls. It was, afterall, her mission to show people that zero just wasn't a size. Hmm.. She liked the sound of that. Zero is not a size.

Shaking the thoughts of work from her mind, she gave Mary a warm smile. "Okay. Is Julian with her?"

She shook her head, "He's still on set."

"Oh."

Mary stood up from the couch after putting the remote to the television back down on the coffee table. She grabbed her cell phone, slid it in her purse and hung the bag on her shoulder. Now that Brooke was home, she should probably go. She started to walk past her as Brooke put her keys down on the table but something stopped her.

She turned and held her hands up. "Okay, so it's probably none of my business and I know I should keep to myself but I kind of feel like I should tell you something. And Julian may not want me to tell you so I'd really appreciate it if you kept it quiet so I don't get fired. I have a one bedroom apartment off of the strip and the rent is so expensive and if I get fired-"

She was rambling and Brooke held her hands up. "Whoa. Slow down. What happened?"

Mary took a second to collect her thoughts and think of how she wanted to say this. "I think-And I could be wrong. Sometimes I just say things without really thinking them through. My friend Angie told me that I should really think before I speak or I'll just end up saying something that I don't mean. Like right now, I should probably not even say anything but-"

"But?" Brooke was very patient with Mary. She'd seen her go on her epic rambles before.

"Well, Grace was really upset today. I know she likes being around her dad. She's told me before how much she likes being around him." It hurt her to say this because she knew Julian. She'd spent enough time around him, listening to him, being a shoulder to lean on, that she understood exactly what he felt. "I don't think she wants to be here anymore. She kept asking him when they could go home, and she didn't mean here."

It took a second for Brooke to find the words to say, but when she did, she just nodded lightly. "I think-It may be time for us to go."

"I didn't mean to mess things up if-"

"You didn't." Brooke shrugged and looked towards the hall that led to Grace's room. "I've always known where home is. I just needed to find the courage to go there again."

Now, it was definitely time.

"Welcome to Los Angeles. We hope you had a wonderful flight. As always, thank you for using Eagle Air. We understand you have many choices when you fly, and we're thankful you chose to share the skies with us."

The voice on the overcom was loud and booming and much too disruptive for Lucas to hear the voice on the other end of his cell phone. With the phone to his mouth, he tried to talk over the male voice on the speaker. "I'm heading outside. If you can hear me, hold on."

"Excuse me," he called as he tried to escape through the crowds. The airport was filled to the brim and he chose to stay away from baggage claim for now. It would be a little while before the plane was unloaded, he was sure.

When Lucas finally made it outside, he put the cell phone to his ear. "Alright. I'm outside. Are you still there?" He wouldn't be surprise if the call had been ended, or lost. He hated the signal he got in airports.

"Yeah, man. I'm here." Nathan's voice came over the other end of the phone. "You do realize that even if you can't hear me, that doesn't mean I can't hear you." He said in referrence to the screaming Lucas had done when they'd first gotten on the phone. He leaned back on the couch and rubbed his hand over the top of his head.

"Right." Lucas said with a chuckle. "I didn't-Sorry." He shook his head. He was all kinds of frazzled lately. First he had been waiting for the plane to take him to Los Angeles. Then he was ON the plane to take him to Los Angeles. Now he was IN Los Angeles, and-Oh! Blue eyes looked over at the watch on his left wrist. "I completely forgot about the time change. I woke you up, didn't I?"

"It's okay." Nathan just shrugged, "I'm used to it." It was only recently that Brian had actually started sleeping through the night. He was very used to waking up at odd hours and making it through the day with very little sleep. "And at least you didn't wake up Haley. You do that and we're both in trouble."

They laughed. Lucas knew full well how Haley could be.

"Have you decided what you're going to say to Brooke yet?" The younger brother asked. He had always been a supporter of Brooke and Lucas being together. Seeing them together was like seeing himself with his wife. He and Haley were made for each other-and while Nathan wouldn't say it outloud at risk of sounding like a girl, he felt like Brooke and Lucas were meant to be together too. There had just been nothing right, according to him, about Lucas and Peyton.. and obviously nothing right for Brooke and Julian.

That question was a hard one because while Lucas was on the plane, he could pretend he still had time. But right now, Lucas was running out of just that. "Nathan. I'm a writer. I've published one book and I'm halfway through a follow up story."

The dark haired brother just smirked, "Got nothing, huh?"

"Nothing at all." Lucas finally admitted. "Don't get me wrong. I've thought of a lot of things I want to say but nothing feels right. I think I stole the last monologue I had from _Sixteen Candles_."

Nathan lofted a brow. "Sixteen Candles? Really, dude?" He asked in that -questionning your masculinity- way.

"Shut up." Lucas grumbled.

It wasn't often that Nathan was the one who could help with words, but he certainly did have experience begging for forgiveness and making grand proclaimations of love. "Alright, Luke, listen. You need to remember who you're going to be talking to. This is Brooke Davis. You've made speeches to her before."

"Which is why what I need to say now has to be that much more amazing." Lucas added, leaning back against a wall. He watched the people file out of the airport and into the awaiting and eager arms of their loved ones. He sighed, "I told her I was the one for her before, and I blew it."

"Maybe you don't need an epic speech then, Luke. Just be honest with her."

Nathan was right. Lucas knew it, but it didn't make it any easier. He was also worrying about what would happen if Brooke didn't return those feeling, or if she did but couldn't trust him not to leave her again. Going to Peyton, Lucas wouldn't apologize for that. He got a beautiful daughter out of it. He didn't regret it. What he regretted was being young and stupid and not following his heart. "Thanks, Nate."

Nathan nodded, a smirk on his face as he noticed Haley padded slowly into the living room. She pulled her robe closed and looked over at him with a curious look on his face. He waved her over and once she sat beside him, face pressed into his chest, he rubbed his hand against her back tenderly. "Just do us all a favor, Luke. Get Brooke and bring her back."

"And for heaven's sake, tell her you love her before we all explode in anticipation." Haley contributed when she realized who Nathan was talking to.

Lucas laughed, "Tell her I'll do my best."

Smirking, Nathan relayed, "He said he will as long as he doesn't wimp out."

"Don't wimp out, Lucas." She intructed.

Shaking his head, Lucas finished the conversation and stuffed his cell phone in his pocket. Nathan was right. He didn't need any epic speeches. He and Brooke were supposed to be together and all he needed to do was be honest with her about his feelings. He looked back towards the doors and considered going back for his bag-but then decided against it.

Instead, he stepped out to the curb and threw his hand in the air to flag down one of the cabs. He couldn't wait any longer, not even another moment. He needed to go to Julian's, tell Brooke he loved her and hopefully start the rest of his life with her. That kind of future couldn't wait.


	14. All We'd Ever Need

**A/N: **I've apologized a lot for not updating this as often as I should, and I have no excuse greater than getting busy with life. On top of that (and the massive hours I've been working lately), I recently participated !and finished! a Nanowrimo novel. So I have been working on editing and updating that. I have to order my proof copy and then I will be able to post it on Amazon/Kindle/Nook and stuff like that. So I've been busy, but today I ended up hearing "Down" by Jason Walker and it made me think of Sway. I went to my friend Angie's youtube page and I re-watched the trailer and then decided that this was long overdue for an update. So here is another chapter in the Brooke and Lucas saga. There is one more *long* chapter after this, and then an epilogue. My promise to update probably don't mean much right now but I have a few days off so I'm hoping to get it all finished up and posted within the next couple of days. Thank you again for sticking with me. It really means so much to me 3

* * *

**All We'd Ever Need**

_I should've been chasing you  
I should've been trying to prove  
That you were all that mattered to me_

It was already dark by the time Julian Baker pulled his car into the driveway and hit the button on his visor to close the gates behind him. It had been such a long day and all he really wanted was something to eat and a big drink to celebrate the fact that he'd made it through without killing either of his stuck up lead actors. Todd Wyeth and Evelyn Banks were both big spotlight hogs and partied a little more than he wished they would. But he had cast them alongside his father and they both knew what they'd gotten into.

At least the movie was almost complete.

Stepping out of his convertible, Julian grabbed the pile of scripts he planned on looking over that night, and his cell phone, and walked towards the front door. He nodded to the door man and the boy who went to park his car, and then head into the building. A short ride on the elevator and a five foot long hallway, and he was finally at his front door. Pushing the key in the lock, he gave it a quick turn and opened the door. The living room was dark so he flipped the switch as he dropped his keys on the table.

When he turned, his eyes focused on the dark haired woman sitting on the couch. "Brooke. What are you doing?" He asked, then noticing the two bags that were packed beside her legs. Julian put the scripts down on the table beside the keys and reached back to rub the knot that was forming on the base of his neck. "I've had a really long day." He explained, almost like that was enough to put off whatever conversation was about to take place.

But he should know better.

Brooke had gone back and forth with whether this was the right move for the past few hours. One minute she knew that Tree Hill was the place for her and Grace to live, but then other times she would picture her daughter as a teenager, resenting her mother for moving her away from her father. It was a difficult decision to make but Brooke had taken the grown up route. Nerves and worries aside, all she could think about was what would be best for the both of them. Life had long since been about what Brooke wanted. Whatever made the two of them happy would make them a happy family. Tree Hill was where they were happiest. With each other, and with Haley and Nathan and Jamie and Brian and Penny.. and Lucas.

It had been a long time since Brooke was able to admit to herself that she wanted Lucas in her life in more than a simply platonic way. Their road had been rocky and it still may be. She, of course, had no idea how Lucas would react when she told him that she loved him-but she needed to say it. This wasn't high school. She had spent so much time thinking of other people and making decisions that affected her own life based on what she thought her friends wanted and now it was time to think about her own heart.

There has only been one man who ever fully been in her heart, and he was the one she needed to go home to.

"We need to talk," Brooke said as she pat the couch beside her. "Come sit down?"

Julian eyed the couch but he wasn't sure that he wanted to have this conversation. He knew that it wouldn't be a good one and sometimes it was easier to just avoid those conversations than letting them happen. If you put them off long enough, maybe they'll just go away. "No. I think I'll stand." He said warily, crossing his arms over his chest. Then he gave a quick sweep of the room and looked back at her. "Where's Mary and Grace?"

Mary was a really sweet girl, Brooke thought. Julian would be fine as long as he had her around to help him. "I let her go home." Brooke explained, "And Gracie's in her room. I asked her to finish packing."

Julian nodded but didn't say anything for awhile. He couldn't think of anything to say. Packing meant they were leaving and he knew Brooke Davis well enough to know that look on her face that meant her mind couldn't be changed. "So you're leaving?"

She hoped that this didn't turn into a fight. Nodding her head slowly, Brooke rose from the couch and took a few steps towards him. "You had to know it was going to happen. Grace loves you, Julian, but this isn't home."

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to yell and scream and demand to know who she thought she was to make the decision and move away with his daughter-but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out if he was upset that she and Grace were leaving, or if he was upset that Lucas Scott was going to be there. "And Lucas is?" He asked.

Brooke reached out and placed her fingertips against his elbows, looking him straight in the eyes. "This isn't about Lucas." And it wasn't. "It's about going home. Tree Hill has been my home for a really long time. Before I moved to New York, it was the only place I felt I belonged. And it's Gracie's home too, and she misses it. I think it's time for me to take her back."

Julian's eyes averted to the ground. "What about us?"

Us? Brooke let out a small sigh and dropped her arms. "We haven't been _us_in a really long time. We tried to hold on to what we had but I think we both know that it's been over for awhile now. We hardly speak. We're always fighting." She shook her head a few times slowly. "That's not how a relationship should be. And we aren't being the kind of parents that Grace deserves. Think about it, Julian. Your parents hated each other, just like mine did. I don't want her growing up with that, and I don't think you do either."

Why did she have to be right, he wondered. He remembered what it was like to listen to his parents fighting all night. And he knew he'd hate himself if he did the same thing to his child. "You're right." He admitted silently. "I don't."

She pressed her lips together.

Sometime in the last hour, she wondered what it would feel like to know that her relationship with Julian was completely over. Would she be sad? Cry? Feel empty? But the truth was this felt right. And it felt long past due. "We'll work out some kind of schedule so you two can see each other as much as you want." There was never a part of Brooke Davis that wanted to keep her daughter from Julian.

Still a little behind in the conversation, Julian looked up at Brooke and tried to hold it in but he couldn't. "It really is over, isn't it?"

Brooke just nodded slowly, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll always care about you. You gave me the most beautiful little girl I could have wished for, but we were never meant to be together." Her voice was a little raspy from keeping the volume down. She didn't want Grace to overhear the adult conversation.

"Will you go back to him?"

"Julian-"

"I know-it's none of my business. I just-Grace loves him, and if she spends all her time with him.."

Brooke knew exactly what Julian was worried about before he even had a chance to say it all. She didn't need him to explain it. Having spent the past couple of years helping raise Peyton's daughter, she had spent a lot of time wondering how Penny would see her. And whether it would be wrong to let the little girl see her as a mother figure.

She took a few small steps to close the distance between the two of them. Seeing the look in Julian's eyes, she knew that he really did worry. Reaching her hand up, she touched her palm against his cheek gently. "She is _never_going to forget that you are her father. I wouldn't let her and Lucas wouldn't let her." No matter what the future held between she and Lucas, she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't take that place away from Julian. Lucas was the best kind of guy. "And you won't either, because you better plan on visiting her as much as possible."

Julian wasn't sure if he wanted to believe her, but that didn't change the fact that she was right. In his brief acquaintance with Lucas, he could tell that he wasn't a guy with malicious intent. "I guess I can't change your mind, can I?"

The small smile that crossed Brooke's lips was infectious and it had Julian smiling a moment later. "Not this time."

"Are you coming with us, daddy?"

From the moment Grace heard the words _Going back to Tree Hill_, she'd become ecstatic. Of course she'd had an idea that's where they were going when her mom asked her to pack her things. Sitting on the end of the bed was a pink _Beauty and the Beast_suitcase that the little girl had insisted on the moment she'd seen it in a store window. Brooke, of course, tried to remind her daughter that she could have Louis Vuitton if she wanted but Louis was no match for the Beast.

She was sitting now beside the suitcase with her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. She rocked them back and forth as she cuddled her stuffed purple monkey and looked up at her father who had knelt in front of her.

"No, I'm not, honey. Daddy's home is here, just like yours and Mommy's home is back in Tree Hill." In that moment, looking into his daughter's eyes, Julian wanted so badly to just throw everything away and go back to North Carolina with her and Brooke. He could find work. He was sure somewhere there would be employment.

But he also remembered how miserable he'd been the first time he'd tried to live in Tree Hill. Their daughter was smart and Julian was sure that she would figure it out, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. This would be best for all of them. "But i'm going to come and visit you a lot. And you can visit me whenever you want to. I'm going to leave your room just the way you like it so it's waiting for you."

As ready to go back home as little Gracie was, she still felt a little pang in her chest. Sliding down off the bed, she curled her arms around Julian's neck. "I'll miss you, daddy." She said in a small voice.

While the two embraced, Brooke decided to slip away and give them some alone time together. Something told her that things would work right this time around. It had been a long time since she had one of those honest to goodness good feelings in her chest. Something that just made her think that this was right. Elated at the prospect of coming back home, Brooke picked up her cell phone and dialed Haley. She wasn't quite ready to talk to Lucas yet and tell him. How would he even react? Would he be excited? Will he think it's a good idea?

She walked over to the window by the time the phone call was answered. Instead of the chipper voice of her best friend, she heard the lower, younger voice of her god-son. "Hey there, handsome."

"Aunt Brooke! Hey. How's Los Angeles?" Even though he was growing up, Jamie had been raised the right way. He liked to catch up with his family and that was something they all had appreciated. He was actually a lot like Haley had been. Sure he was athletic the way you could imagine any child of Nathan Scott's to be, but he was also very academic. He was smart and just this year, started tutoring fellow classmates.

Brooke smiled as she looked at the city lights. "Beautiful. But nothing compared to Tree Hill."

Jamie, who had been too young to really remember visiting any other states, just laughed. "I find that hard to believe." He said. The idea of California was appealing beyond belief to the young boy. In fact, UCLA was on his list of colleges that he wanted to attend-for obvious reasons.

"You'll understand one day." She said with a smile.

"When are you and Grace coming back?" Jamie questioned, never once putting down his game controller. What? The kid was a Naley boy. He could multitask, and often did better than anyone else. The constant clicking of the buttons is what really got Brooke's attention.

"That's actually what I'm calling about. Is your mom around? I need to talk to her for a minute."

Jamie looked back over the couch, then pressed pause on his game. He hopped up and over the back, "Yeah, she's cooking dinner. Let me get her." He head over and stood by the counter. "Mom." When Haley turned, she wiped her free hand on her apron, Brian on her opposite hip. "Aunt Brooke." Jamie said, holding the phone out for her.

Excitement immediately bubbled inside of Haley as she thanked her son and took the phone. She turned the soup pot on low and covered it before putting the phone against her ear. "Hey there Brooke Davis," She said with a smile covering her face. She could only assume that Lucas had already spoken to her and that was why she was calling. Brian started to fuss a little, so she carried him over to his playpen and sat him down.

"Hey," The excitement in her best friend's voice only served to fuel her on excitement. "I have news for you!" Brooke tried to keep her voice down. She didn't want it completely obvious that she was ecstatic to be going back home when Grace and Julian were just a room away saying goodbye to each other.

Without even thinking, Haley gave an excited little jump and burst. "I know! And it's about time if you ask me. I'm so happy. I may have made a tiny bet with Nathan that he would actually do it. Oh and I'm so glad he did!"

Brooke was usually the bouncy one that couldn't stop talking when she got excited. (That's how she earned her Tigger nickname afterall) It was kind of new to hear that out of Haley. She laughed quietly and, confused, asked, "Who did what?"

"Tell you."

"Tell me what?"

It wasn't until that moment that Haley picked up on the fact that Brooke didn't know what she was talking about. Lucas must not have gotten there yet. Or he had but chickened out and didn't tell her. But even then, Brooke would talk to her about it. So it had to be that Lucas didn't show up yet. "I-Have you talked to Lucas yet?" Haley asked, this time being a little safe with the words she used.

Funny she mentioned Lucas. "Not yet, no. I still have to call him. But listen-Grace and I are coming home. I booked us a flight tonight. We're going to be in kind of late so I wanted to make sure you knew." Brooke turned her eyes towards the bedroom and watched Grace with Julian. There seemed to be a kind of ease between them there that she hadn't seen in a long time. Just another reason why she was sure Tree Hill was the right place for them to be. "You still there, buddy?"

The second she realized that Brooke was planning on leaving, Haley snapped at Jamie to get his attention and point to Brian for him to keep an eye on his brother. Then she hurried into the next room. Nathan was in the shower so she reached for his phone and quickly started to compose a text to Lucas. He had to get there soon or they would miss each other completely. _Brooke's leaving. Hurry up! -H_she pressed send and realized she hadn't been paying attention to a thing Brooke said. "I'm sorry. I was-distracted." There. That wasn't a lie. "What did you say?"

With a little one to care for, Brooke understood being randomly distracted so she thought nothing of it. "I said, Grace and I are coming home."

"Oh, good. Brooke, that's great! We'll be so happy to have you back. You've both been so missed." She looked down at the phone and wished she could get a text back from Lucas, telling her where he was and what he was going to do. "But-I really think you need to talk to Lucas before you do anything."

That kind of caught her off guard. "Talk to-why? Do you think he won't want us to come back?" That had definitely been in Brooke's mind. She had some remaining insecurities from her teenaged days. It wasn't so easy to shake the feeling that you weren't the person that the guy you love wanted to be with.

Then she thought of the last time she had seen Lucas before leaving for Los Angeles. He'd found Grace hiding in Penny's closet and Brooke had been completely overwhelmed with her feelings. When she looked at him, when she felt his hands brushing her skin, she just came completely unglued. He'd stripped off her clothes, carried her to the bed, kissed her tenderly and they'd made love for the first time in twelve years. But it had still felt like the first time. After breakfast the next day, she'd been approached by Julian and left for Los Angeles with him.

She remembered feeling his hand on her cheek and the look on his face. She rememebered wanting to fall into his arms. The way he looked at her was like he wanted to touch her just as much as she wanted him to. She couldn't have made that up. So there was no reason she could think of why he wouldn't want her to come back to Tree Hill. "Haley?"

Still no word from Lucas.

Haley decided she would need to talk to him, and hopefully she could get in touch with him if she kept calling. He'd have to answer. "No, no. I think he wants you to come back. I just-" She couldn't just spit it out, that Lucas was in the same town she was-that he'd flown across the United States just to see her. "Just trust me. Call him first, okay?"

"Tutor mom, what do you know?" Brooke's spidey senses were telling her something was up.

When Haley recognized that tone of voice, she jumped up. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. Brian needs me. I have to go. Talk to you soon, love you, call him!" And she quickly pressed the end button on the cell phone. As she mumbled silent curses under her breath, Nathan stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What was that about?" He asked, using a second towel to dry his hair and the beads of water that dripped down his chest and arms. He knew that look on his wife's face. He folded the towel over his arm and then dropped it in the hamper by the door as he took a few steps towards her. "Hales?"

"That was Brooke," she said, pointing at the phone. "She and Grace are coming home."

Nathan made an impressed face and crossed his arms over his chest. "Luke talked to them then? That's great."

"No, that's the thing. She didn't even speak to Lucas at all. She booked a plane home for tonight and I texted Lucas but he's not answering his phone. Nathan, they could completely miss each other. I tried to tell her to call Lucas but I don't know if she's going to. It seemed like she was ready to leave soon."

The way she looked made Nathan smile. She looked as though Brooke and Lucas would never speak again if they didn't talk before she left for Tree Hill. But he knew that this was important to Haley so he just nodded and reached for his cell phone. "Alright. I'll keep trying him." At that time, Brian let out an 'I need to be changed' cry. The two stared at each other for a second.

Then Haley stuck her hand out, "It's your turn."

Nodding, Nathan handed the phone over to her, then leaned in and gave her a kiss. "By the way, you look very sexy today, Haley James Scott." They shared a look as he head into the living room. Haley just blushed and grinned like she was a school girl again, then turned back to the phone.

Lucas Scott was a patient man.

He was a writer, so he knew what it meant to sit in front of a computer for hours—days—weeks—when he was trying to write something. Something he just had to wait for the words to come to him. Sometimes the ideas like to play keep-a-way. He knew about waiting.

He was also a father.

There were some thing that took Penny a long time to get. There were also times when she and Grace were younger and he'd come home to find they decided to "paint" Penny's bedroom walls with crayons. Just like any other child, his daughter took a while to learn things.

He was patient.

He kept reminding himself that he was patient as he peeked over the front seat of the cab and looking at the clock, then up to the red brake lights of all the cars in front of him. Why did everyone who lived in Los Angeles have to take this street right then? Why couldn't they just pull off the side of the road and let him through?

He tapped his hand on the back of the seat, "Sir." He looked at the cabbie's eyeroll in the rearview mirror.

"I told you five minutes ago," the older black man spoke. "I can't drive with all of those cars in front of me. We'll get there when we get there."

"But, you don't understand…"

And it didn't look like he was going to.

Lucas convinced himself to sit back as he looked out at the street. The light up ahead turned green and he grew anxious, until it went red again after only two cars made it underneath. He let out a huff of anticipation and frustration. This was ridiculous! At this rate, it would be next year before he made it. His foot started to bounce as he looked out the side window as the street sign up ahead. He recognized that sign name.

Pulling out his phone, he looked through a map and realized that he wasn't that far at all. In his estimation, if he just went down two blocks South, he'd be there. He looked at the timer on the cab and then reached into his pocket. He yanked a fifty and tossed it in the front seat before opening the back door.

"Hey! Hey, what are you doing?" The driver scolded. "We're not there yet."

Lucas peered his head back in, "You have the address. Drop my things off there when you get through traffic. I can't wait any longer." Before the man could say anything, Lucas took off at a run down the street. He was pretty sure that driver was going to make off with all his stuff but what did he care right now? He had his wallet and his phone, and now he needed to get his Brooke and Grace, the missing pieces of his family.

He stopped only once to check the address and before he knew it, he was in front of the door. He stood there for a minute and knew that he'd have to talk to Brooke in front of Julian. He knew that if she said no, if she said she didn't want to be with him, he'd do it in front of the man she'd want to be with instead of him.

His nerves screamed but he didn't let them stop him.

He raised his fist and knocked on the door.

By the time Brooke walked into the bedroom, she knew they were already running late. She hadn't wasted any time in booking that flight back to Tree Hill.

She leaned back against the doorframe of Grace's bedroom and looked at her daughter. Her lips turned up at the sound of her laughter as Julian gave her sides a quick tickle. She watched them and she wondered about the way things had turned out. Sometimes, she thought, things happen for a reason. She had loved him at one point in time, she could admit that. There was never any shame in admitting love. But she could see it clearly now. She and Julian were never meant to be together in the forever sense.

They were meant to be together, to create that beautiful little girl. They were meant to bring her into the world, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Brooke didn't regret that.

She looked down at her watch a moment later and then clapped her hands together to get their attention. "Alright you two, it's time to go."

Grace looked up with a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and a little sadness. She loved her father, but she missed her home. The idea of seeing the beautiful, rolling skyline was all she could think about. She was still trying to decide if she would convince her mom to take her over to see Penny the second they got back into town.

Who cared if it would be the middle of the night?

Julian had a knot of sadness in his chest as well, but he knew Brooke was right. This was for the best. He pushed himself up from the bed and gave his shirt a tug to place it back into position. Then he reached down to pat the top of Grace's head.

"Do you have everything?"

Grace snuggled her purple monkey close and nodded as she watched him pick up her Beauty and the Beast bags. He looked over at Brooke and let out a small sigh, "Call me when you get there? Just so I know you're safe."

Brooke nodded, but it was Grace who said, "You got it, daddy!"

Smiling at her daughter, Brooke giggled and then walked over to pick her up. "You're going to have to stop growing, little bit. Mama's getting too old to pick you up." She teased, then gave her a kiss on the cheek once she was securely in her arms.

The happy look on Grace's face was all she needed.

Julian stepped close to them and cupped Grace's little face. "Be good for your mom, okay?"

"Okay, daddy."

He kissed her forehead and gave her a big hug. He was starting to realize that while he had spent most of his time working while she and Brooke were there, he was really going to miss having them to come home to. But the time just wasn't right. He held Grace as close as he could and part of him really hated how much he'd taken them for granted. But this would be right.

"I love you, baby."

"Love you too, daddy."

For being four years old, Grace knew what this meant. She knew that she wouldn't see her father as much as she wanted to. She knew that she wouldn't hear him coming home after work, but she also knew that she would still see him. Everything would be okay.

She smiled, "Ready to go, mama?"

Brooke couldn't help the tears she felt in her eyes. She wasn't sad; she just wished that things could have worked out better between Grace and her father. She looked at her daughter, nodded, and then looked up at Julian. They'd been through a lot together and this was goodbye for them.

She took a breath and then smiled, "Thank you."

Julian chuckled, surprised, "For what?"

"Understanding."

He stood there for a minute in shock. He never expected to hear those words out of her mouth. He hadn't been there as much as he should have, and he certainly didn't treat her the way she should have been treated. But he didn't know what to do so he just nodded.

There was a knock at the door they heard echo down the hall. As he started to take a few steps away, Brooke stopped him. "Wait. Here," She passed Grace over to him. "You two say goodbye. I'll get the door."

Then Brooke walked down the hall, to the front door, and pulled it open.


	15. Belief

**A/N: **I know. Two chapters in as many days! It's crazy. But I wanted to do this for you guys. I've received so many beautiful comments on this story and you deserve to read the rest of it. I have one more chapter after this, and epilogue to tie the whole story together. I may not have this up for just a little while longer but I will do my best to get it to you. This part though, you deserve to read. You've waited for it and you've hung in there with me and that means the world to me so I hope that you enjoy!

* * *

**Belief  
**_Belief makes things real  
Makes things feel, feel alright  
Belief makes things true  
Things like you, you and I_

Lucas looked down at his cell phone to see the time. It was pretty late. He wondered if maybe they were already asleep in there. He considered the situation for a moment. He could leave—just for tonight. He could come back in the morning when he knew they would be awake.

But those thoughts lead him to think that Brooke would be inside, laying in bed beside Julian. And he couldn't stand the thought of anyone else looking into those beautiful eyes of hers the way that he wanted to. He was the one. He'd made the shot. He knew it from the beginning. She was the one, and even though he messed up, he couldn't wait another minute to tell her.

Anxiously, he pounded on the door again.

"Come on." He cursed at the closed door, knocking a little louder this time.

When he heard the lock twisting on the door, his throat twisted in a thick knot. This was it. This was finally the right time. He'd tell her everything he wanted to tell her, and hopefully she would feel the same way. Hopefully she would let him take her home, where she belonged.

As the door opened, his hopeful face faltered slightly.

"Julian."

"Lucas?"

Lucas cursed under his breath, but he wasn't going to let the appearance of Julian deter him. Sure it would be easier if it was just he and Brooke talking—but that didn't matter. Not one little bit. He put his hand on the door frame and walked into the living room. He looked around, immediately noticing the few toys that were out on the couch. _Grace_.

Blinking a few times, Julian shut the door and turned to face a frantic looking Lucas.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I need to talk to Brooke." Lucas told him, making a beeline for the hallway. He didn't care if he was going to end up getting punched by Julian for doing this. Quite frankly, it was the last thing on his mind. He made it to one of the bedrooms and he pushed the door open, hoping that he would find Brooke and Grace playing together the way he'd found them a million times before.

When he found the room empty, he thought about just checking all of the rooms, but he didn't want to waste any more time than he had already, so he spun on his heel and looked at the very confused Julian.

"Where is she?"

"She's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here?" Lucas asked.

He could wait if she'd gone out—though it was late to go out, wasn't it? Logic didn't really fit into his thought process as he stared at Julian. The only good thing about Brooke not being here was that it looked as though Julian had just gotten out of bed. His hair was a mess and he wore a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"What are you doing here?" Julian questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

He'd spent a long time jealous of Lucas Scott. He seemed to have the world on a platter. And as much as he hated it sometimes, he had the love of the two girls in his life that meant everything to him. Part of him really wanted to tell Lucas to get lost, but a much louder part told him that he couldn't do that. He couldn't do it to Brooke, and he couldn't do it to Grace.

How is that any of your business? Lucas wanted to ask. But he wasn't going to do that.

He had problems with Julian. To be honest, he hadn't liked him since the first time they met. First, he had been in a relationship with Peyton, and then he'd moved on to Brooke. Lucas hadn't wanted to admit it back then, but he wasn't sure why Julian's budding relationship with Brooke had bothered him more than his obvious feelings for Peyton. But that was history.

There were plenty of things to hate Julian for. Like the way that he didn't seem to care about anyone else in the world but him. Like the way that he let Brooke raise Grace all by herself. Like the way that he only showed up when he wanted to and thought it was okay. Sure he could get in a fight with him over all of that, but Lucas had more important things on his mind.

He took a breath and put his hands out.

"Listen. You know that I don't like you, but what I'm about to do doesn't have anything to do with you. It has to do with Brooke,"

"And my daughter."

Lucas's jaw clenched slightly. How Julian could even call Grace that anymore was too shocking to him to process. He was barely around. He went off working every chance he could. He didn't even know anything about Grace. But he kept his mouth shut about that.

"I love her."

"Brooke." Julian supplied.

"And Grace." Lucas let out a sigh. "And I have to tell them. She may just laugh at me or tell me I'm being crazy and I'll deal with that. I can handle anything as long as I tell her. And I know that might screw up what you have going with them but—"

"Lucas," Julian cut him off and shook his head before leaning against the wall. He didn't have to like Lucas to want Brooke and Grace to be happy. "You told me once that I'd be stupid if I didn't try with Brooke."

He could clearly remember that conversation at the Rivercourt. They'd been sitting on the bleachers and he was questioning whether it was worth even trying with Brooke. He wasn't sure if it would work out. Julian really only liked things that were sure. He didn't like the guessing and the hoping. He didn't want to be let down.

He looked at Lucas and let all of the hurt and pain go, and he admitted, "Well, I did try." Then he shrugged, "I just didn't try hard enough."

Then he nodded towards the door, "She left about an hour ago with Grace. They're going home."

Lucas' eyes widened.

He never once expected Julian to say any of those things. He had been prepared for a fight, at the very least. But to admit what he'd just said—Lucas was simply shocked. But the shock was short lived as he focused on the part of Julian's words that sent worry coursing through his body.

"They what?"

"They have a flight at LAX." He let out a breath. "If you hurry, you might catch them."

Lucas was the king of reading between the lines. He didn't make something up if he didn't see it but as he thought about what Julian had said, he realized something quite startling. He was giving Lucas his blessing. He blinked a few times, but didn't let the shock distract him for long. He had to get to the airport.

An unspoken thank you passed between the two before Lucas took off again. He had to the get to the airport.

He had to see her.

X_X_X_X_X_X_X

"You can sleep if you want, Gracie." Brook said as she brushed her hand through Grace's soft brown locks. The little girl had curled up on the seat beside her mother's and laid her head in her lap. For as excited as she was, it was way past her bedtime and that sleepy feeling was catching up with her.

As Grace yawned, she mumbled, "I'm not sleepy."

Brooke laughed.

"You know, the faster you go to sleep, the sooner we'll be home."

It was the same thing Brooke always told her on Christmas Eve. Gracie would be bouncing with excitement over Santa's visit. Brooke would sit on her bed, running her fingers through her hair like she was now, and she'd promise her that Christmas morning would come sooner if she slept.

Grace yawned again but she was forcing her eyes to stay open.

All she could think about was getting back home and seeing her favorite people in the world. She also looked forward to seeing her mother's happy smile again. It had been gone lately and she missed it. Tilting her head back, Grace looked up at her mother's face and grinned. "Are you happy, mama?"

What a strange question, Brooke thought.

She nodded, "Of course I'm happy."

"But are you _really_ happy?" Grace urged.

Brooke leaned down and pressed a kiss to Grace's forehead, then curled her arms around the little girl's body so she could cuddle her close to her heart. "I have you, baby." She remembered growing up with her parents, who were constantly fighting or traveling, or doing anything that meant they didn't spend any time with her. She dreamed of the day she would have a daughter of her own and she swore that she would raise her the way a child should be raised. Being a mother was Brooke's dream come true. She prayed for Grace. "As long as I have you, I'll always be happy."

Grace smiled and turned away, and as she did her eyes started to widen slightly. "Uncle Lucas?"

Brooke hadn't noticed and she let out a sigh. "Uncle Lucas is another story, Grace." She continued, trying to keep herself from thinking of all the times throughout their lives that she had known in her heart that the words she'd uttered that one night so very long ago were true. Lucas was the one for her. The only one. "You know I love your Uncle Lucas, but…"

Hands went into Brooke's leg as Grace pushed herself up, "No, mama!" Then when she had Brooke's attention, she pointed. "Uncle Lucas!"

Blinking, Brooke turned in the direction that Grace was pointing, and she felt like her heart would fly right out of her chest. Confusion, excitement, happiness, then confusion again all passed through her eyes. Lucas Scott.

He stood in the middle of a clearing crowd of passengers all awaiting their flights. He was out of breath from his sprint through the airport, and he almost didn't get the ticket, but he did—and he was here.

And she was here.

Brooke pushed herself up to her feet, stunned. She felt like the room was spinning.

"Lucas?"

As he closed the distance between the two, he shook his head before she could say anything. "Don't. Please. Just—let me go first." He was quiet for a moment to make sure she agreed and when she didn't say anything, he let himself think about what he and Nathan had talked about. He'd already given Brooke speeches. He'd already poured his heart out. But this would be different. This time was going to be new, and it was right.

"You told me once that you wanted me to fight for you." They had been standing in the parking lot outside of school when he'd found Rachel in his backseat, back when they were kids. "I let you down back then, Brooke. But I'm here now. And I know that we're just friends but if you give me one more chance, I'd…" He let out a breath because he hadn't thought about the words he'd use. They would just come from his heart. "Brooke," He took her hands in his, thumbs running across the top of her hands. "I love you. I've never been so deeply in love like this with anyone before. You picked me up when I needed you, a-and you helped me raise my daughter, and you knew just when to give me a kick in the ass." He could hear Grace gasp from his use of a curse words but the smile on Brooke's face wouldn't let him stop. "I watched you grow up from a girl to a woman, and then to a mother. I-I see you with Grace, with your family, and I want to be part of it."

Brooke didn't realize the tears had collected in her eyes until she could feel them rolling down her cheeks. "Lucas—"

He couldn't let her answer yet, not until he was finished. "I told you that I was the one for you but what I should have said is that you're the only one for me. You, Brooke. I want to be with you. And if—if you don't feel that way, I'll understand. I will. You'll always be my best friend, I promise you that. But I just need you to know how I feel. You're beautiful… and wonderful… a-and I want us to be a family, a real family. I want to go to bed with you in my arms after we tuck in our girls, and I want to kiss you every day and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you the way you deserve to be loved."

He let go of her hand and reached up to cup the side of her face. He could feel the crowd that had their eyes on them, and he knew that it would be awkward if Brooke said she just wanted to be friends. He knew he'd have to fly home that night with a group of strangers feeling pity for him but it was worth the risk.

He used his thumb to wipe the tear away. "You're it for me, Brooke Davis. Do you think that you could give me another—"

_Chance._

His sentence was cut short as he felt her throw her arms around his neck and her lips crash into his. He was honestly surprised at first. He hadn't expected it but at his brain caught up with his heart, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him, kissing her back in all the ways he'd wanted to and missed.

There was a soft roar of applause from around them before a little bump at his knees had them turning from the kiss. Standing beside them was Grace with a wide smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around them.

"Are you two kiiiiiissing?" She asked, giggling as she said it.

Brooke laughed and wiped off her face as Lucas scooped up her little girl, _their _little girl. She felt like her heart could explode. She watched as Lucas hugged Grace and then held his arm out for Brooke. She stepped into the hug and felt like she was home. Scooting up on her tippy toes, she pressed her lips to his once more.

"You did good," she whispered, much like she did years ago during their terrible rainstorm.

Lucas chuckled as he breathed in the moment, unsure if he was dreaming. Everything felt perfect.

"I love you, Brooke Davis."

"I love you too, Lucas Scott."

X_X_X_X_X_X_X

**4 Months Later**

The piano started to play an enchanting melody as the guests all turned to face the back of the church. The keys echoed through the quiet halls as Brooke Davis—soon to be Brooke Davis-Scott—crouched down in front of her daughter. Grace's hair had been neatly curled. She held a basket in her hand as tiny fingers played with the rose petals that filled it. She looked up at her mother, and her face was beaming.

"Are you ready?" Brooke asked, trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes.

Grace nodded and then tilted her head to the side, "Why are you crying, mama?"

It was a loaded question with the most simple and crystal answer.

"It's because she's happy, right?" Penny turned around from the lineup. Her own natural curls cascaded over her shoulders as she looked from her best friend to the woman who was about to become to mother. If she was honest, Brooke had always been a mother to her.

Brooke smiled at her and then nodded. "Come here." She wrapped her arms around both of the girls. She held them close to her and breathed in that moment, wanting to remember every second of it, knowing that she would reply this day over in her mind a million times and for the rest of her life.

Standing in a red dress, Haley stepped up to them and put her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "It's time." She said, trying to hold back her own happy tears as Brooke stood up. Grace was beaming as she rounded the corner and looked forward at the church full of people who all aww'd at the image of her in her flower girl dress.

She was nervous to walk in front of them and it took a moment for her to remember what she was supposed to do. She stood, unmoving, until she felt a hand in hers. Her eyes turned to the side and when she saw Penny's smile flashing back at her, the two girls started to walk up the aisle, hand in hand.

Brooke patted her hands against her cheeks as she turned to her best friend. "They look beautiful."

"You look beautiful," Haley told her, finally succumbing to the tears. She stepped in and hugged Brooke as tightly as she could manage. "I love you, tigger." She whispered against her shoulder.

Brooke sniffled as she rubbed her hands along Haley's back. "Don't make me cry." She whispered, though her heart was overjoyed in that moment.

As she pulled back, Haley looked up at Brooke who stood in an elegant, white wedding dress. "You know, if someone would have told me that one day I would be standing in this church to watch you get married, I don't know if I would have believed it. I'm so happy for you, Brooke."

She pressed her lips together as she smiled at Haley and then nodded her head. "You should save that for your maid of honor speech." She replied, making them both laugh. Then she watched as Haley stepped up to the door to face the church. Before she could walk, Brooke sniffled. "I love you too, tutor girl." She winked when Haley turned to face her.

Haley's face was beaming as she started to walk down the aisle.

Brooke watched her for a moment and then turned to face her mother, the woman who had become the mother she always wanted to have over the past few years. Victoria stood tall and stoic, like she always did, but her eyes were rimmed with happy tears that she simply refused to shed.

"Are you ready?" Brooke asked.

Victoria held her elbow out for her daughter to loop her hand through. She switched the flowers she held into her other hand and then reached up to touch the side of Brooke's face. "I am so proud of you." She whispered softly.

"Mom."

"I love you, okay?" Victoria shook her head and then turned away. "Now don't make me cry or I'll have to kill you on your wedding day."

Brooke smiled, laughed to herself, and then nodded.

They rounded to corner together and started to slowly make their way up the aisle. Brooke leaned in and whispered, "I love you too, mom." Her words made Victoria visibly lose the battle against shedding tears.

The room was filled with people they loved; and at the front stood the most important ones. To the right of the priest, Haley, Penny, and Grace stared back at her and she smiled at them. Then to the left, she found Nathan, Skills and Mouth—but the one that Brooke lost herself on was Lucas. She met his gaze and felt the rest of the room fade. Years from now, she wouldn't even remember walking up the aisle, she'd just remember those beautiful blue eyes staring back at her.

As she approached the alter, Victoria gave Brooke away, and Lucas took her hands.

He couldn't think past this moment, this wonderful moment that was the culmination of his entire life. He squeezed her hands gently and stared at her, falling into those eyes that had captivated him from the first moment that he'd looked into them. So many lifetimes swirled between them that he heard nothing until the priest asked for his vows.

With something close to pride in his chest, Lucas began to speak. "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. When life gets hard, when things change, true love remains the same." And it was true love that had changed his entire life. It was her who brought him back to Earth, and it was her who floated with him among the stars. He remembered her speaking those words at Nathan and Haley's wedding, and feeling like nothing else could be more real than the two of them.

As he slipped the ring onto her slender finger, he smiled at her and whispered, "I do."

X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X

The white cloth tent had been put up for their reception, and the whole thing looked like something out of a fairy tale. The tables were lit up with tea lights and decorated with beautiful, deep red roses. But Brooke couldn't even think about how amazing it looked. She could barely tear her eyes away from the man she loved.

They swayed together slowly with nothing but the light from the candles and the soft song playing from the speakers. His forehead pressed against hers as he held one of her hands and rest the other against the small of her back.

"I could dance with you all night, pretty girl."

Brooke's smile widened as she leaned up to press her lips against his, the kiss of husband and wife. "This is all I ever dreamed of," she whispered against his lips.

"You're everything I ever dreamed of."

"Do you always have the perfect thing to say, Lucas Scott?"

He chuckled, blue eyes glistening as he looked at her face, her beautiful face, and her stunning smile. With a nod of his head, he cupped the side of her face. "As long as I'm with you, I do." He didn't want to have to let her go, but he had something special planned so he forced himself to step back from her. "It's time for your father daughter dance." He announced.

Brooke's face only slightly fell. "You know my father didn't come."

"I know," Lucas said as he noticed a man walk up behind her.

"Can I have this dance?" Nathan Scott asked as he held his hand out. When Brooke turned to look at him, she felt a feeling better than she had expected. Of course she wished her father could be there but this was so much better.

She smiled back at Lucas, who nodded at her, and then she turned away from him and took Nathan's hand. He led her a few feet away as a new song started to play, and he began to dance with her. "We've come a long way since high school." He said, noticing the look of pure euphoria on Brooke's face.

She snickered, "You're telling me."

"Look. I know your dad couldn't be here but who needs him?" He and Brooke had similar upbringings, with absent and often unkind parents. "We sort of fumbled through growing up on our own, and it wasn't always easy, but I'm so unbelievably proud of you, Brooke."

Her face reddened but he was right. Out of everyone, they had to overcome the most and learn to become the people they wanted to be. They had struggled not to become mirror images of their own parents but they had made it.

With a little help, of course.

She nodded as she smiled up at him. "We both did pretty well, didn't we?"

Nathan grinned and looked over her shoulder at his beautiful wife in red, holding their young son. "Yes, we did."

As the song came to a close, Lucas tapped his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Alright, that's enough hogging my wife."

"Mm, your wife." Brooke said with a smile, "I like the sound of that."

Chuckling, Nathan leaned in and gave Brooke a kiss on the cheek. He wasn't good with words so he didn't have some special way to say how proud he was of Brooke besides just saying it, so that was all he needed. When he turned to his older brother, he gave him a hug and pat his back twice. "You take good care of her, man."

Lucas looked at the beautiful woman in her wedding dress and he knew that he didn't need to be told that. He had been blessed. Brooke Davis had let him love her, and given him the most amazing gift. She gave him a future, and love, and a family. He smiled as he saw Penny and Grace dancing together across the table. "You know I will." Lucas said as he stepped away from Nathan and took his wife's hand. "Come with me?"

Brooke didn't have to know what they were doing, she just nodded and let him lead her out of the tent. They stepped out onto the Rivercourt. That place was special to both of them so when they were planning the wedding, they chose to put up a tent right beside it. It was lit up by Christmas lights in all of the trees, and it was stunning.

Her high heels clicked across the court, following Lucas until he turned to look at her. She knew this spot. It was the very spot that she knew one day she would marry him. Over the years, she worried that day would never come—that they had lost their chance. But they hadn't. They were here, and they were together.

Lucas looked down at the spot and then up at her with a sideways smile on his face. "You really are the biggest part of my life, Brooke Davis-Scott." He told her as the music from inside the tent played like a soundtrack to the moment.

As he leaned in and kissed her lips, Brooke felt it stronger than ever. The Rivercourt was clean, freshly fixed up and repainted. The basketball hoops had been replaced and the stands were washed off. It was a new beginning with the strong, old foundation.

This was it.

This was forever.


End file.
